School-based mental and behavioral health services; DOE to survey local education agencies, report.
Summary
SB768 requires the Virginia Department of Education to survey every local education agency (LEA) in the Commonwealth about school-based mental and behavioral health services. The survey must gather information on how public schools provide access to local departments of social services, community services boards, and other community-based mental and behavioral health providers, as well as what school-based services are already available through each LEA.
The bill also directs the Department to use the survey results and stakeholder feedback to improve existing guidance for school professionals on connecting students and families with community resources for mental and behavioral health support. By November 1, 2025, the Department must report its findings and recommendations to the Commission on Youth. The measure is primarily informational and administrative; it does not create a new entitlement or mandate direct service provision, but it does require statewide data collection and reporting on current practices.
Impact
SB768 affects the Department of Education’s administrative duties by adding a statewide survey and reporting requirement related to student mental and behavioral health supports. It may influence future guidance, policy development, and coordination between schools and community-based providers, including social services and community services boards, but it does not directly amend funding formulas, student discipline laws, or service mandates for LEAs. The bill’s practical impact is to create a clearer statewide picture of existing school-based mental and behavioral health access and to inform future legislative or regulatory action.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have broad bipartisan support and little visible opposition. It passed the Senate unanimously and the House overwhelmingly, with only one dissenting vote in each chamber’s later stages. The voting history suggests general agreement that the Commonwealth should better understand and improve how schools connect students and families to mental and behavioral health resources.
Contention
There is no recorded committee transcript indicating substantive debate, and the voting margins suggest minimal contention. Any potential point of concern would likely center on whether the survey and reporting requirement adds administrative burden to LEAs or the Department, but the available record does not show organized opposition on that basis. The bill’s focus on information gathering rather than imposing new service mandates likely reduced controversy.