DELAWARE– Gov. John Carney signed two bills in support of expanded mental health resources in public high schools.
House Bill 200 lowers the ratio of students to counselors in each school and establishes a mental health services unit to be phased in over three years, starting in Fall 2024.
House Substitute 1 for House Bill 5 seeks to increase federal reimbursement for school-based behavioral health services. Delaware’s Department of Health & Social Services has until Jan. 1, 2025 to apply for a State Plan Amendment from Medicaid for additional reimbursement. The State’s Medicaid Plan currently limits the mental health services applicable to students who
Carney signed both bills during a ceremony at William Penn High School in New Castle on Aug. 7.
He was joined by other officials including Delaware Secretary of Education Mark Holodick and Speaker of the House Valerie Longhurst, as well as advocates for mental health services in schools.
