SACRAMENTO — Senator Susan Rubio (D—Baldwin Park) on Tuesday, Feb. 20, introduced Senate Bill (SB) 531, which seeks to expand mental health education access to all California students, regardless of their grade level or enrollment in a pre-existing health course.

Current California law requires the adopted course of study for grades 1 to 6 to include specific areas of study, including, among others, health. Existing law requires the adopted course of study for grades 7 to 12, inclusive, to offer courses in specified areas of study, including, among others, English, social sciences, and mathematics. Existing law also requires that each school district, county office of education, state special school, and charter school offering one or more health education courses to middle or high school students include mental health instruction in those courses.

SB 531 is sponsored by the California Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (CALACAP), California Alliance of Child and Family Services (CACFS), National Center for Youth Law (NCYL), National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and The Children’s Partnership (TCP).

“California’s young people face an unprecedented number of challenges to their mental health and well-being, from federal policies that threaten their access to needed and equitable healthcare to the lingering and long-term impacts of the recent devastating fires," NCYL Executive Director Shakti Belway said. "Through expanding access to mental health education to all grade levels, this legislation aims to equip our youth with the tools and knowledge they need to understand their mental health needs so they are empowered to seek needed support. We are grateful to Senator Rubio for leading this effort that recognizes the power of knowledge and young people.”

As part of developing mental health literacy, mental health education is critical to building knowledge and skills to increase awareness, tackle stigma, and encourage help-seeking behavior. Young people spend most of their time in schools, so education systems are well-positioned to play an integral role in fostering positive youth development. Further, half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14, and worldwide, mental health challenges are among the leading causes of illness and disability among young people. In California, about a third of adolescents have experienced serious psychological distress.

While the state has made historic investments in supporting youth mental health through initiatives like the Child and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI), more must be done to address the ongoing mental and behavioral health crisis for California’s young people. This legislation would ensure that all California students receive mental health education in elementary, middle, and high schools by amending the California Education Code’s relevant course of study provisions to include mental health education.