Campbell supports fellow state legislator’s efforts to include mental health services for students in House Republican school safety bill

INDIANAPOLIS - State Rep. Chris Campbell (D-West Lafayette) supported an amendment offered by State Representative Tonya Pfaff (D-Terre Haute) to make sure that mental health services are a crucial part of school safety plans across Indiana.

Pfaff’s amendment to House Bill 1004 would allow school corporations to use money from the state’s Secured School Fund, Safe School Fund and School Safety Advance Program to provide school-based mental health services to students.

“This amendment shines a light on an important piece of the school safety conversation that House Republicans are missing in their school safety bill: mental health,” Campbell said. “No matter the size of their budget, school districts across Indiana should be able to apply for grant funding that will help improve school safety measures that include mental health services for students.”     

House Republicans have not included any funding for mental health services in the current draft of their school safety bill, which the Indiana House Democratic Caucus viewed as a missed opportunity for improving school safety.

The Indiana Secured School Safety Grant Fund was created in 2013 to support initiatives to ensure schools are safe and secure. The program supports a dedicated state grant fund that provides matching grants to school corporations, accredited non-public schools, charter schools or a coalition of school corporations and/or charter schools applying jointly to: employ a school resource officer; conduct a threat assessment; and/or purchase equipment to restrict access to the school or expedite the notification of first responders.