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Commission on Youth hears Behavioral Health Commission study warning school mental-health services are at risk as pandemic funds expire
Summary
The Commission on Youth reviewed a Behavioral Health Commission study finding wide variation in school-based mental-health services across Virginia, heavy reliance on pandemic relief dollars that have mostly expired, and funding and staffing barriers to expanding higher-intensity care.
The Virginia Commission on Youth on an agenda item reviewed a Behavioral Health Commission study that found many school-based mental-health services created with pandemic relief funds are at risk as that one-time funding expires, leaving gaps—particularly for students who need higher-intensity care.
BHC staff told the commission the study, conducted in 2023, found substantial need: statewide survey data from 2022 showed about 40 percent of high school students reported symptoms of depression and 13 percent had considered suicide. The study estimated that roughly 77 percent of public school students receive Tier 1 (preventive) services at school, while more than half of students needing Tier 2 or Tier 3 services could not receive them on campus.
"About 120‑some million dollars which had been available specifically for school-based mental health services has now expired," a Behavioral Health Commission staff member said, describing the disappearance of flexible…
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