Florida SB 978: Student Mental Health

Bill Text

978 
Student Mental Health 
2025-12-19T03:43:03Z 
Requiring the State Board of Education to adopt rules to enforce maximum class size restrictions; requiring that a school district’s plan for its mental health assistance program include contracts or interagency agreements that provide for one licensed mental health therapist per school; requiring that such plan include policies and procedures ensuring that every classroom has a corner for students to regulate emotional control and that teachers assign homework that is purposeful and assigned with consideration of students’ time outside the classroom, etc. 
Original Filed Version 
2026 
S 
2026-07-01T00:00:00Z 
GB 
General Bill 
__ 

 Florida Senate - 2026 SB 978 

 By Senator Osgood 

 32-01068-26 2026978__ 
 1 A bill to be entitled 
 2 An act relating to student mental health; amending s. 
 3 1003.03, F.S.; requiring the State Board of Education 
 4 to adopt rules to enforce maximum class size 
 5 restrictions; amending s. 1006.041, F.S.; requiring 
 6 that a school district’s plan for its mental health 
 7 assistance program include contracts or interagency 
 8 agreements that provide for one licensed mental health 
 9 therapist per school; requiring that such plan include 
 10 policies and procedures ensuring that every classroom 
 11 has a corner for students to regulate emotional 
 12 control and that teachers assign homework that is 
 13 purposeful and assigned with consideration of 
 14 students’ time outside the classroom; providing an 
 15 effective date. 
 16 
 17 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 18 
 19 Section 1. Subsection (7) is added to section 1003.03, 
 20 Florida Statutes, to read: 
 21 1003.03 Maximum class size.— 
 22 (7) ENFORCEMENT.—The State Board of Education shall adopt 
 23 rules to enforce this section and ensure the maximum number of 
 24 students per classroom is not exceeded. 
 25 Section 2. Paragraphs (b) and (c) of subsection (2) of 
 26 section 1006.041, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 
 27 1006.041 Mental health assistance program.—Each school 
 28 district must implement a school-based mental health assistance 
 29 program that includes training classroom teachers and other 
 30 school staff in detecting and responding to mental health issues 
 31 and connecting children, youth, and families who may experience 
 32 behavioral health issues with appropriate services. 
 33 (2) A plan required under subsection (1) must be focused on 
 34 a multitiered system of supports to deliver evidence-based 
 35 mental health care assessment, diagnosis, intervention, 
 36 treatment, and recovery services to students with one or more 
 37 mental health or co-occurring substance abuse diagnoses and to 
 38 students at high risk of such diagnoses. Assessment procedures 
 39 must, at a minimum, include the use of the most recent version 
 40 of the Daily Living Activities-20 (DLA-20) functional assessment 
 41 tool, unless the department specifies in rule the use of a 
 42 different assessment tool. The department shall consult with the 
 43 Department of Children and Families before adopting rules 
 44 regarding use of a different assessment tool. The provision of 
 45 these services must be coordinated with a student’s primary 
 46 mental health care provider and with other mental health 
 47 providers involved in the student’s care. At a minimum, the plan 
 48 must include all of the following components: 
 49 (b) Contracts or interagency agreements with one or more 
 50 local community behavioral health providers or providers of 
 51 Community Action Team services to provide a behavioral health 
 52 staff presence and services at district schools, including at 
 53 least one licensed mental health therapist per school. Services 
 54 may include, but are not limited to, mental health screenings 
 55 and assessments, individual counseling, family counseling, group 
 56 counseling, psychiatric or psychological services, trauma 
 57 informed care, mobile crisis services, and behavior 
 58 modification. These behavioral health services may be provided 
 59 on or off the school campus and may be supplemented by 
 60 telehealth as defined in s. 456.47(1). 
 61 (c) Policies and procedures, including contracts with 
 62 service providers, which will ensure that: 
 63 1. Students referred to a school-based or community-based 
 64 mental health service provider for mental health screening for 
 65 the identification of mental health concerns and students at 
 66 risk for mental health disorders are assessed within 15 days 
 67 after referral. School-based mental health services must be 
 68 initiated within 15 days after identification and assessment, 
 69 and support by community-based mental health service providers 
 70 for students who are referred for community-based mental health 
 71 services must be initiated within 30 days after the school or 
 72 district makes a referral. 
 73 2. Parents of a student rec