A bill awaiting the governor’s signature would ask that mental health assessments be made available for all public school students from grades 6-12 in Virginia.
The bill, HB355, directs the advisory School Health Services Committee to work with the Virginia Department of Education to develop a plan for annual mental health screenings.
Del. Debra Gardner, a Democrat representing Chesterfield County, said the screenings would not be mandatory and the results would beconfidential.
“We know there’s a problem,” Gardner said. “Now we need to start finding tools that will help us identify them and get these kids the resources that they need.”
The bill has been purposefully kept vague, she said, so as to provide a degree of flexibility. She said what would go into effect would be heavily based upon the finds of the study and suggestions the bill also calls for.
Gardner said some school superintendents have pushed back on the bill, saying it would be costly. While she said she understands their concerns, she believes her legislation to be an actionable first step to address a widely recognized problem.
Having passed through the General Assembly, the bill has until midnight Monday to be signed, amended or vetoed by Gov. Abigail Spanberger.
John Buzbee, 757-879-7421, john.buzbee@virginiamedia.com