The "PEER Mental Health Act of 2025" aims to improve mental health support in schools by providing grants for training in mental health first aid and awareness.
Becca Balint
Representative
VT
The "PEER Mental Health Act of 2025" aims to improve mental health support in schools by authorizing grants for training teachers, staff, students, parents, and caregivers in mental health first aid. These grants will help individuals recognize mental health symptoms, make appropriate referrals, and respond to immediate distress. A minimum of 25% of grant funds will be allocated to schools in rural areas, with the possibility of reallocation if unused. The Act allocates almost $25 million per year from 2026 to 2030 for these initiatives.
PEER Mental Health Act Greenlights $25M Annually for School-Based Mental Health First Aid Training, Starting 2026
The PEER Mental Health Act of 2025, sets aside nearly $25 million each year from 2026 to 2030 to train teachers, school staff, students, and even parents on how to spot and respond to mental health crises in kids and teens. It is not just about recognizing the signs, it is also about knowing how to connect students with professional help and understanding the resources available in their communities.
Mental Health First Aid: Who's Getting Trained?
This bill focuses on giving people the tools to provide initial support, like a mental health first-aid kit. The legislation specifically authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants for this purpose. Think of it as basic first aid training, but for mental health. The aim is to equip school communities—teachers, staff, students, parents, and caregivers—to recognize when a young person might be struggling and help them get the support they need (SEC. 2).
Real-World Impact: From Classrooms to Crisis Intervention
Imagine a teacher trained to recognize the signs of severe anxiety in a student who's always seemed 'just shy.' Or a parent equipped to talk to their teenager about depression and connect them with a counselor. This bill aims to make those scenarios more common. The grants are specifically for training in recognizing symptoms, referring students to services, understanding immediate distress signals, and applying mental health first aid (SEC. 2).
Rural Schools Get Priority
At least 25% of the grant money is earmarked for schools in rural areas. This is crucial because rural communities often have fewer mental health resources. If some of that rural funding isn't used, it goes back into the pot for other schools, ensuring the money is spent where it's needed (SEC. 2).
Keeping it Streamlined
The application process is designed to be straightforward, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services is tasked with providing technical assistance and sharing best practices. This means schools, especially those with limited resources, won't be bogged down in red tape when applying for these grants (SEC. 2). The bill also requires a plan for evaluating how the grant money is used, so there's accountability built in (SEC. 2).