Increasing Access to Mental Health in Schools Act

Increased Staffing in High-Need Schools: The grant program aims to increase the number of school-sited mental health providers to meet specific target ratios for counselors, psychologists, and social workers (Section 3(f)(3)).

Support for Graduate Students: Grant funds can be used to provide tuition credits to graduate students participating in the pipeline programs (Section 3(f)(7)).

Financial Relief for Professionals: The bill establishes a program to repay student loans for those who work as mental health providers in low-income local educational agencies for at least five consecutive years (Section 4(a)).

Targeted Training for Diverse Needs: Grant funds can support coursework designed to prepare graduates to meet the unique needs of specific groups, such as English language learners, foster youth, and students whose parents are in the military (Section 3(f)(6)(B)).

Workforce Diversity: The program includes provisions to recruit, hire, and retain graduate students who are culturally or linguistically underrepresented (Section 3(f)(4)).

Employment Obligations: To receive the student loan repayment benefits, individuals must enter into an agreement to complete five years of consecutive employment with a low-income local educational agency (Section 4(b)).

Strict Eligibility Requirements for Agencies: The benefits are specifically targeted toward "low-income" local educational agencies, which are defined by specific poverty levels and existing staff-to-student ratios (Section 2(6)).