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Heated hearing on repeal of statewide MTSS‑B exposes deep divisions over school mental‑health framework
Summary
Representative John Sellers asked the committee to repeal the statewide MTSS‑B framework, calling it unfunded, ineffective and intrusive; dozens of district leaders, school psychologists, mental‑health providers, the Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Education defended MTSS‑B as a prevention-focused framework that improves instructional time, coordination and safety.
Representative John Sellers opened testimony on House Bill 17-54, a three-line repeal of the statewide mandate for Multi‑Tiered System of Supports for Behavioral Health and Wellness (MTSS‑B). Sellers argued MTSS‑B is an unfunded mandate that diverts instructional time, misdirects teachers into clinical roles, costs districts and collects student behavioral data that could be used by vendors without sufficient privacy safeguards.
A long series of witnesses followed under a two-minute limit. Opposition testimony came from school psychologists,…
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