HB 355: Public school students in grades six through 12; annual mental health screening. - Virginia

K-12 Subcommittee Subcommittee Substitute → Education and Health Substitute · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to shift the primary responsibility for mental health screening guidelines from the Department of Education to the School Health Services Committee. The Department of Education is no longer required to develop and distribute these guidelines directly but must instead collaborate with the Committee to study best practices and make recommendations. This change moves the focus from immediate implementation by the state agency to a study and recommendation process by the legislative committee.

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted from requiring the Department of Education to create and distribute actionable guidelines to requiring the School Health Services Committee to study the issue and provide recommendations. The Department of Education's role is now limited to collaboration during the study phase.

REQUIREMENT

The Department of Education is no longer required to develop, post, and distribute mental health screening guidelines; this duty was transferred to the School Health Services Committee.

The primary mandate changed from the Department of Education creating a final guidance document to the School Health Services Committee conducting a study and making recommendations.

The requirement for the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to be consulted was removed, replaced by a general mandate for the Committee to collaborate with the Department of Education.

TIMELINE

The specific deadline for the Department of Education to complete the guidance (January 1, 2027) was removed, as the new requirement is for the Committee to conduct a study and include findings in its annual report.

Education and Health Substitute → Chaptered · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill has transitioned from a proposed Senate substitute amendment to an officially enacted chapter of the Virginia Code. The substantive policy content regarding mental health screenings for students in grades six through twelve remains identical to the original proposal, with no changes to requirements, funding, or eligibility.

Scope change

The bill's scope and applicability are unchanged; the only difference is its legal status, moving from a proposed amendment to an active law.

TECHNICAL

The document format changed from a proposed amendment to an enacted chapter, adding official headers, chapter numbers, and approval dates while keeping the legal text identical.

Education Substitute → K-12 Subcommittee Subcommittee Substitute · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was significantly rewritten to shift focus from allowing local school boards to choose mental health screening tools to mandating that the Department of Education develop and distribute best practices for these screenings. The Department's deadline to create these guidelines was moved up from September 2027 to January 2027. Additionally, a new requirement was added for the School Health Services Committee to study these best practices and report findings by October 2026.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from a permissive measure allowing local boards to act to a directive requiring the state Department of Education to lead the development of screening guidelines and a new study by a specific committee.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the primary action from local school boards developing tools to the Department of Education creating and distributing best practices for screening.

Added a mandate for the School Health Services Committee to study best practices and submit findings by October 1, 2026.

TIMELINE

Accelerated the Department of Education's deadline to develop best practices from September 1, 2027, to January 1, 2027.

SCOPE

Revised the bill title and summary to reflect the new focus on state-led development of guidelines and a required committee study.

Enrolled → Education Substitute · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was converted from an Enrolled Act into a House Substitute Amendment, changing its status from a finalized law to a proposed revision. The substantive policy content was significantly rewritten to shift authority from a study committee to direct action by local school boards and the Department of Education, while also expanding the list of protected student groups and adding a specific implementation deadline.

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted from a mandate for a committee to conduct a study and make recommendations to a direct mandate requiring local school boards to implement evidence-based mental health screenings and the Department of Education to publish specific best practices.

REQUIREMENT

The requirement changed from a study by the School Health Services Committee to a direct mandate for local school boards to develop or procure evidence-based screening tools and for the Department of Education to publish best practices.

TIMELINE

A new deadline was added requiring the Department of Education to satisfy the new requirements by September 1, 2027.

ELIGIBILITY

The list of students requiring accommodation was expanded to explicitly include students with developmental and intellectual disabilities, in addition to bilingual students and those with low reading proficiency.

SCOPE

The scope of the Department's required best practices was expanded to include specific items such as linkage to resources after screenings and detailed plans for follow-up.

Introduced → Enrolled · 4 edits · Mar 12, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was transformed from a proposal to mandate annual mental health screenings for students in grades 6-12 into an enrolled act that initially defers implementation. Instead of requiring immediate screenings, the final version directs the School Health Services Committee to study best practices and make recommendations. The actual screening requirements and deadlines were removed, replacing them with a study phase to evaluate tools and procedures before any mandates take effect.

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted from an immediate mandate for all public school students in grades 6-12 to a study and recommendation process. The requirement for school boards to conduct screenings was removed, and the timeline for compliance was deleted entirely.

REQUIREMENT

The mandate for school boards to conduct annual mental health screenings for students in grades 6-12 was removed.

A new requirement was added for the School Health Services Committee to study best practices for annual mental health screenings and report findings to the General Assembly.

TIMELINE

The deadline for the Board of Education to develop screening tools (September 1, 2027) and the effective date for screenings (2028-2029 school year) were removed.

ELIGIBILITY

The direct applicability of the bill changed from requiring action from school boards to requiring action from the School Health Services Committee.

Public school students in grades six through 12; annual mental health screening.

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