HOUSE MEMORIAL 22

56th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2024

INTRODUCED BY

Mark Duncan and Jason C. Harper and Alan T. Martinez

and Joshua N. Hernandez and Anthony Allison

 

 

 

 

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE PUBLIC EDUCATION DEPARTMENT TO CONVENE A WORKING GROUP TO STUDY AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE PROVISION OF MENTAL HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS.

 

     WHEREAS, research indicates that there are connections between a student's mental health and the behavioral problems that affect a school's learning environment and safety; and

     WHEREAS, since the end of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic restrictions, schools have reported increases in behavioral outbursts and aggression, fights and other acts of violence on school campuses; and

     WHEREAS, behavioral and mental health needs are a significant concern for New Mexico students; and

     WHEREAS, the 2017 New Mexico youth risk and resiliency survey reported that New Mexico high school students engage in risky behaviors at higher rates when compared to the national average in ten of fourteen indicators, and risky behaviors are linked to poor mental health and academic outcomes that have lifelong consequences; and

     WHEREAS, students' unmet mental health needs pose barriers to learning and development; and

     WHEREAS, because of their training and position, school counselors are uniquely qualified to provide instruction, appraisal and advisement, short-term counseling and referral services to students and their families; and

     WHEREAS, of school-age children who receive behavioral or mental health services, seventy to eighty percent receive those services at school; and

     WHEREAS, preventive school-based mental health and behavioral services are essential, and without planned intervention for students exhibiting early warning signs, setbacks in academic, career, social and emotional development can result in later school years and adulthood; and

     WHEREAS, the federal centers for disease control and prevention advises that early identification of mental health disorders in children is vital to help children get the support they need and to prevent negative effects on their health and relationships throughout life; and

     WHEREAS, various models of school-based health care exist, including on-site services by a mental health provider or at school-based health centers; and

     WHEREAS, according to the department of health's 2022 State of Mental Health in New Mexico report, more than forty percent of high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2019, which was higher than the national average; and

     WHEREAS, the rate of New Mexico high school students suffering from major depressive disorder nearly doubled between 2015 and 2020; and

     WHEREAS, one-half of all lifetime-diagnosable mental health conditions begin by age fourteen, and schools can play a major support role during these critical years, especially when family-initiated private mental health treatment is not an option; and

     WHEREAS, when school districts team up with mental health professionals experienced in the recognition and treatment of students' mental health, opportunities are created for conversations that can lead to necessary treatment;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the public education department be requested to create a working group for the purpose of studying and identifying barriers to mental health care and gaps in existing mental health care for public secondary school students, including funding, costs and licensure; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group be requested to make recommendations to the legislative education study committee and the legislative finance committee with the goal of providing mental health care services at all public secondary school campuses; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be transmitted to the secretary of public education.

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