Transforming School-Based Behavioral Health in DC: What’s Changing and Why It Matters

0
On December 7, 2025December 7, 2025By In Blog, Events, News

Across this city, there is renewed attention to strengthening behavioral health supports in public and charter schools. These efforts reflect both legislative mandates and evolving implementation approaches by the District of Columbia Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) and partner agencies.

What the law requires

Back in 2012, the D.C. Council passed the South Capitol Street Memorial Amendment Act of 2012 (Act) (enacted as D.C. Law 19-141), which directs the Mayor to submit a comprehensive plan to expand behavioral health programs and services in all public and public charter schools. 

Key elements: intervening early (families, student behavioral health), promoting social-emotional competence, and reaching 50% of schools by School Year 2014-15, 75% by School Year 2015-16, and all schools by School Year 2016-17. 

Historical Context: Unfortunately, the DC Department of Behavioral Health did not meet these milestones of the original timeline in the Act, and by November 2017, via a City Council joint committee effort between the Committee of Health (chaired by Vincent Gray) and the Committee of Education (chaired by David Grosso), and in collaboration with the Executive Office of Mayor Muriel Bowser, formed the Task Force on School Mental Health (Task Force). This Task Force sunset in March 2016 and was replaced by a more permanent advisory body, renamed the Coordinating Council for School-Based Behavioral Health (Coordinating Council), which included not only members of the Task Force but also some former members of the previous advisory body established in 2012 (named the Interagency Behavioral Health Working Group) to support the development and implementation of DBH’s first Comprehensive Plan.

What’s changing and what implementation looks like now?

Despite several efforts over the years to fully implement a comprehensive school-based behavioral health system in all DC public and public charter schools, recent reports indicate that the rollout has encountered challenges. For example, a Washington Post article published earlier this month entitled, “DC Pulls Back on Vow to Put Mental Health Clinicians in Every Public School,” reported that the original target of a licensed mental-health clinician in every public school in DC has been scaled back due to staffing shortages, funding constraints, and a decision to shift from extensive contracting with nonprofits to more in-house provision by DBH. 

Why this matters:

Consistent, research-based, and culturally responsive school-based behavioral health is critical for early intervention, supporting students’ social & emotional development, reducing crises, improving attendance and engagement, and promoting equitable access. Advocates have called on the Council to maintain and increase investment so that the program can be sustainable and well-utilized. 

With the new directory/dashboard requirement, theoretically, there is also a stronger focus on transparency, accountability, and accessible information for families about what services are available and where.

Key shifts, what to watch out for:

  • A shift from “every school gets a full-time clinician” to a needs-based staffing model (some part-time, some shared, and telehealth options) as described in recent media.

  • A stronger role for centralized planning, coordination, and monitoring via the “Coordinating Council on School Behavioral Health.”

  • Emphasis on expanding data systems and public transparency (the upcoming dashboard) so families and policymakers can track behavioral-health services.

  • Continued concern around workforce shortages, funding adequacy, and how well services are matched to students’ needs.

Resources for more information

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.