Join National PTA and Ohio PTA in urging Congress to provide $250 million for the Mental Health Services Professional Demonstration (MHSP) and School-Based Mental Health Services (SBMH) grant programs, funded through the Department of Education’s Safe Schools National Activities as part of FY27 appropriations funding. These bipartisan programs are the only federal grants specifically dedicated to developing the school mental health workforce by supporting the training, recruitment, and retention of school psychologists, school counselors, and school social workers. 

Communities across the country continue to face significant shortages of school mental health professionals (e.g., school psychologists, school social workers, school counselors), limiting students’ access to critical mental and behavioral health services. Schools play a vital role in providing mental health services; students are six times more likely to access mental health support when it is available at school. For many students, particularly those in under-resourced and rural communities, schools are the only accessible source of care.  In one cohort of MHSP and SBMH grantees' first year (from May to December of 2023), federal investments: trained 1,767 school mental health professionals, supported 1,191 supervised practicum placements in high-need schools, enabled the hiring of 1,163 school mental health professionals, helped retain 13,155 professionals, and provided services to over 774,000 students.

MHSP and SBMH projects showed: 

• 50% reduction in suicide risk at high-needs schools
• Decreases in student absenteeism and behavioral issues
• Increases in positive student–staff engagement
• 95% retention rate for new and existing professionals
• 80% reduction in student wait-times for school mental health services
• 33% increase in school mental health professionals

Take action TODAY and urge Congress to provide $250 million for the MHSP and SBMH programs to ensure students don’t lose access to these necessary programs.