Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick has led a bipartisan group of lawmakers in seeking clarification from the Department of Education about potential changes to $1 billion in school mental health funding. The funding, allocated by Congress through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, was intended to address the shortage of school-based mental health professionals.
In a letter addressed to Secretary Linda McMahon, Fitzpatrick and his colleagues emphasized the importance of maintaining investments in children’s mental health. “Now is not the time to turn back on investing in our children’s mental health and the mental health workforce,” they stated.
The lawmakers highlighted that federal grant programs have already shown significant results. The Mental Health Services Professional Demonstration (MHSP) Grants trained 1,767 school mental health professionals and placed 1,191 graduate trainees in high-need schools. Additionally, School-Based Mental Health Services (SBMH) Grants hired 1,163 school mental health professionals and provided services to over 774,000 students.
Fitzpatrick expressed concern over any potential disruption or diversion of resources. “These funds were never intended to be a theoretical exercise—they were designed to confront an urgent crisis affecting millions of children,” he said.
Dr. Peter Faustino, President of the National Association of School Psychologists, stressed the need for continued efforts to address the nationwide shortage of school psychologists. He commended Representative Fitzpatrick’s leadership and looked forward to a timely response from the Department.
Congresswoman Judy Chu also voiced her support for increased investment in school mental health services. “At a time when about 1 in 5 students struggles with a mental health disorder, we should be increasing, not decreasing, our investments,” she said.
The letter calls for detailed responses from the Department by July 14, 2025. It seeks clarity on how any reallocation will sustain or expand services and assurances that funding will continue reaching programs established by Congress.
