FRANKFORT, KY—A bill that lawmakers hope will address the mental health needs of Kentucky public school students in response to school shootings like the one at Marshall County High School in January has made it through the Kentucky House.
PHOTO: HB 604 sponsor Rep. Will Coursey, D-Symsonia, speaking on the measure
House Bill 604, sponsored by Rep. Will Coursey, passed by the House Friday on a vote of 81-1. The bill would require school districts or public charter schools to hire or contract with one mental health professional per every 1,500 students as public or private funds become available, beginning with the 2019-2020 school year. That mental health professional would help meet another requirement in the bill directing all public schools to adopt a “trauma-informed approach” that focuses on the needs of struggling students to create safer schools.
The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, defines a “trauma-informed approach” as realizing “widespread impact of trauma and … potential paths for recovery,” recognizing signs of trauma, and responding “by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures and practices.”
It would be the duty of the mental health professional under HB 604 to build a trauma team that would “provide training, guidance, and assistance” to school and staff and help students in need, with guidance also provided by the state Department of Education in the form of a toolkit including strategies for building a trauma-informed approach.
Coursey, D-Symsonia, filed HB 604 in the aftermath of a Jan. 23 shooting in his district in which two Marshall County High School students – Bailey Nicole Holt and Preston Ryan Cope, both age 15—were killed when a classmate allegedly opened fire at the school. At least a dozen other individuals were shot but survived, with many others sustaining injuries.
“While we will never be as we were, I’m proud to say that who we are hasn’t changed,” Coursey told the House.
Coursey said HB 604 is based on the fact that many students have no one at home to talk to when they are facing a traumatic event like a parent’s divorce or some other loss. And while schools cannot control what happens at home, Coursey said “they can and should help whenever possible.”
“My sincere hope is that we can find the money in our budget to bring these (mental health professionals) into our schools as soon as possible,” he said.
Rep. Steve Riley, R-Glasgow, enthusiastically supported the bill. The retired public school educator said guidance counselors in schools are “overwhelmed” and cannot meet all the needs of their school’s students.
Riley said while HB 604 will help to create a better school culture. “If we don’t do this in schools, we are going to continue to have problems,” he said.
HB 604 now goes to the Senate for consideration.
