H.B. 990
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
May 2, 2024
SESSION 2023 HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK
H D
HOUSE BILL DRH40580-NHa-161
Short Title: Mental Health Triage Unit Pilot for LSAUs. (Public)
Sponsors: Representative T. Brown.
Referred to:
1 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
2 AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE MENTAL HEALTH TRIAGE UNIT PILOT PROGRAM.
3 The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
4 SECTION 1.(a) Program; Purpose. – The State Board of Education shall establish
5 the Mental Health Triage Unit Pilot Program (Program) to provide funds to establish at least one
6 mental health triage unit in each participating local school administrative unit. The Program shall
7 be administered for a period of three fiscal years and shall expire on June 30, 2027.
8 SECTION 1.(b) Participation. – Local school administrative units may submit
9 applications to the State Board of Education to participate in the Program. The State Board shall
10 select up to eight local school administrative units to participate in the Program and shall consider
11 at least the following factors when assessing applications:
12 (1) The level of resources available to the local school administrative unit that
13 would receive the funds.
14 (2) The overall impact on student mental health in the local school administrative
15 unit if that unit were selected to participate in the Program.
16 (3) The history in the local school administrative unit of sudden traumatic events.
17 SECTION 1.(c) Implementation. – Each participating local school administrative
18 unit shall receive two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) in each fiscal year in which
19 funds are made available to establish and maintain at least one mental health triage unit in the
20 local school administrative unit. The purpose of a mental health triage unit is to provide mental
21 health resources to students and staff and to be on call during school operating hours to respond
22 to mental health emergencies that may arise. Participating local school administrative units shall
23 inform students and staff about any available mental health triage unit and provide opportunities
24 to learn about the purposes and function of a mental health triage unit.
25 SECTION 1.(d) Guidelines for Mental Health Triage Units. – The Department of
26 Public Instruction and the Center for Safer Schools, in consultation with the Department of Public
27 Safety, shall establish standards and guidelines for the development, operation, and staffing of
28 mental health triage units pursuant to the Program, including a requirement that each mental
29 health triage unit shall be composed of at least one of each of the following personnel:
30 (1) School nurse.
31 (2) School social worker.
32 (3) School counselor who is a licensed clinical mental health counselor, as
33 defined in G.S. 90-330(a)(2).
34 SECTION 1.(e) Report. – No later than March 15 of each year in which funds are
35 made available for the Program, the State Board of Education shall report on the Program to the
36 Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee. At a minimum, the report shall include the
*DRH40580-NHa-161*
 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2023
1 identity of each local school administrative unit that received funds pursuant to the Program and
2 an assessment of the impact of the Program on the mental health and well-being of students in
3 the participating local school administrative units.
4 SECTION 2. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of
5 Public Instruction for the 2024-2025 fiscal year the sum of two million dollars ($2,000,000) in
6 recurring funds to implement the Mental Health Triage Unit Pilot Program established by this
7 act.
8 SECTION 3. This act becomes effective July 1, 2024.
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