LACOE's Mental Health & School Counseling strives to ensure every school is equipped to provide a culturally responsive and trauma-informed multi-tiered systems approach to support students' emotional wellbeing and safety so that they can thrive academically. To support districts in this work we provide technical assistance, resources, and trainings to LA County LEAs and school staff.
RESOURCES & TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
Legislation
AB-2246: Pupil Suicide Prevention Policies for Grades 7-12
School districts and local educational agencies (LEAs) serving grades 7-12 must implement suicide prevention policies that specifically address high-risk student populations. These policies were required to be in place by the 2017-18 school year and continue to ensure that schools take proactive measures to prevent suicide.
AB-1767: Extension of Suicide Prevention Policies to Grades K-6
With the passage of AB-1767, the requirements for suicide prevention policies were extended to cover grades K-6. This bill ensures that even younger students are supported through suicide prevention strategies, addressing mental health needs from the earliest school years.
SB-1318: Pupil Health: Suicide Prevention Policies (Pupil Suicide Crisis)
This bill sets a target for July 2026, by which the California Department of Education will update the model policy to guide LEAs in these changes. LEAs are required to review and update their suicide prevention policies every five years.
Crisis Response: Prioritize school mental health professionals; if unavailable, use trained staff or community resources.
Student Notification: Inform students if parents/guardians are notified of a crisis.
Policy Review: During the update of policies, discussing funding for mental health professionals every five years
SB-14: Pupil Health: Mental Health Training and Excused Absences
This bill allows absences for mental and behavioral health to be recognized under illness verification regulations. Schools must accommodate absences taken for mental health reasons, further normalizing mental health care in school attendance policies.
AB-309: Pupil Mental Health Referral Protocols
Under AB-309, the California Department of Education (CDE) is required to develop model referral protocols for addressing student mental health concerns. These protocols are designed to guide schools in referring students to appropriate mental health services and will be available on the CDE website.
Wellspace Resources
Building a Comprehensive School Mental Health Program Training Series
Training Opportunities
The ACEs Campaign (CA Surgeon General)
The Thriving Kids Project (Child Mind Institute)
Legislation
California Ed Code for School Counselors
- The governing board of a school district may, and is urged to, provide access to a comprehensive educational counseling program for all pupils enrolled in the school district. It is the intent of the Legislature that a school district that provides educational counseling to its pupils implement a structured and coherent counseling program within a Multi-Tiered Systems of Support framework.
AB365 – Children of Military Families
- Extends to students from military families certain rights regarding exemptions from local graduation requirements and acceptance of partial credit which are currently afforded to other groups of highly mobile students.
AB2508 – Quirk-Silva. Pupil Services: Educational Counseling
- Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district to provide a comprehensive educational counseling program for all pupils enrolled in the school district. Existing law states the intent of the Legislature that school counselors provide a variety of services for all pupils. Existing law requires educational counseling to include academic counseling in specified areas. Existing law authorizes educational counseling to also include counseling in certain areas. Existing law defines “educational counseling” for these purposes.
- The Local Educational Agency Medi-Cal Billing Option Program (LEA BOP) reimburses LEA BOP Providers (school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, state special schools, community college districts, California State Universities, and University of California campuses) the federal share of the maximum allowable rate for approved health-related services provided by qualified health service practitioners to Medi-Cal eligible students.
School Counselor Academy
Resources
Legislation
Human Trafficking Prevention
Bullying Prevention
Legislation
