Assembly Bill 337 aims to enhance mental health training for school districts and independent charter schools in Wisconsin by adding social and emotional learning to the existing list of evidence-based strategies provided by the Department of Public Instruction (DPI). Currently, DPI offers training on three strategies: screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment; trauma-sensitive schools; and youth mental health first aid. The bill proposes to include social and emotional learning as a fourth strategy, thereby expanding the resources available to educators in addressing student mental health.

In addition to the inclusion of social and emotional learning, the bill allocates an additional $500,000 to DPI for each of the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school years specifically for these training programs. This funding aims to support the implementation of the new training requirements and enhance the overall mental health support provided to students. The bill is set to take effect the day after publication or on the second day after the publication of the 2025 biennial budget act, whichever occurs later.