Mental Health School Reopening Guidance

The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), The Kennedy Forum, and the undersigned 97 organizations are writing to urge the Department of Education (ED) to issue guidance that supports schools to prioritize supplemental funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (American Rescue Plan) for mental health services and supports as students return to in-person learning. As education, mental health, civil rights, and youth advocacy organizations dedicated to the healing and well-being of youth, especially youth in low-income communities and BIPOC youth, our goal is to ensure that every student has access to quality, culturally responsive, trauma-informed mental health and social emotional learning supports in their school. We appreciate the Secretary’s expressed commitment to supporting student mental health and offer our collective expertise in support of the development of guidance that positions schools to respond to the scale of need.