A2859

An Act establishing the Military-Connected Student Mental Health Grant Program, supplementing chapter 6 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes, and making an appropriation.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. a. The Department of Education, in consultation with the Department of Military and Veterans’ Affairs, shall develop and administer the Military-Connected Student Mental Health Grant Program. The purpose of the program shall be to award grants to school districts with high concentrations of military-connected students to expand mental health services.

b. The Commissioner of Education shall award grants, within the limit of funds appropriated or otherwise made available for the program, to selected school districts to be used to expand mental health services, provide mental health outreach to military-connected students, and provide counseling to military-connected students whose parent or guardian is called to State or federal active duty.

c. A school district that wishes to apply for a grant shall submit an application to the commissioner in a manner and form to be determined by the commissioner. A school district shall demonstrate in its application that a majority of the schools in the district have high concentrations of military-connected students. In addition, the application shall include:

(1) an overview of the school district’s currently available mental health services;

(2) a description of the school district’s need for additional funds to expand mental health services;

(3) the number of students that may receive mental health services as a result of the school district’s receipt of a grant; and

(4) any other information the commissioner deems appropriate.

d. The commissioner shall develop criteria for the evaluation of applications for grant funds. Based upon the criteria developed by the commissioner, and within the limit of funds appropriated or otherwise made available for the purposes of the program, the commissioner shall allocate to each selected school district a grant in an amount determined by the commissioner. The commissioner may award multi-year grants.

e. As used in this section, “military-connected student” means a student enrolled in a public school in the State who is a dependent of:

(1) a member of the armed forces of the United States, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Space Force;

(2) a member of the National Guard; or

(3) a member of any other reserve component of the armed forces.

2. a. Within one year after receiving a grant award under the Military-Connected Student Mental Health Grant Program, a school district shall submit a report to the Commissioner of Education containing information on the district’s use of the grant funds. The report shall include, at a minimum, information on the number of students provided mental health services as a result of the grant, increases or improvements in the provision of student mental health services as a result of the grant, and any notable changes in school climate, attendance rates, student achievement, school discipline, or other measures since receiving the grant.

b. The commissioner shall submit a report to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), no later than two years after the establishment of the Military-Connected Student Mental Health Grant Program. The report shall include, but need not be limited to, information on the number of grant applicants, the number and amounts of the grant awards, information provided by school districts under subsection a. of this section, and any recommendations concerning the continuation or expansion of the grant program.

3. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Education the sum of $1,000,000 for the Military-Connected Student Mental Health Grant Program established pursuant to section 1 of this act.

4. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill establishes the Military-Connected Student Mental Health Grant Program.

Under the bill, the Department of Education, in consultation with the Department of Military and Veterans’ Affairs, is required to develop and administer the Military-Connected Student Mental Health Grant Program. The purpose of the program is to award grants to school districts with high concentrations of military-connected students to expand mental health services. The Commissioner of Education would award grants, within the limit of funds appropriated or otherwise made available for the program, to selected school districts to be used to expand mental health services, provide mental health outreach to military-connected students, and provide counseling to military-connected students whose parent or guardian is called to State or federal active duty.

A school district that wishes to apply for a grant is required to submit an application to the commissioner in a manner and form to be determined by the commissioner. The school district is required to demonstrate in its application that a majority of the schools in the district have high concentrations of military-connected students. In addition, the application would include various other information related to how the applicant school district would use grant funds and the impact of those funds.

The commissioner is required to develop criteria for the evaluation of applications for grant funds and determine the amounts allocated to selected school districts. The commissioner may award multi-year grants.

Under the bill, each school district that receives a grant is required to report certain information to the Commissioner of Education and the commissioner is subsequently required to report program-related information to the Governor and the Legislature.

Finally, the bill appropriates $1 million to the Department of Education for the purposes of the program.