HB 2548 Summary

• Amends Arizona Revised Statutes Section 15-154 to expand the school safety program to include "school-based mental health professionals" in addition to school resource officers and juvenile probation officers.

• Defines "school-based mental health professional" to include school counselors, school social workers, school psychologists, and licensed behavioral health providers who provide children's services under contract with schools.

• Requires school districts and charter schools applying for mental health professional grants to submit program proposals including descriptions of school needs, mental health service plans, community resource relationships, confidentiality policies, parent notification procedures, and referral processes.

• Maintains existing requirements for school resource officer and juvenile probation officer program proposals, including law-related education programs and needs assessments based on crime statistics.

• Requires the Department of Education to evaluate program effectiveness and submit annual reports to the Governor, President of the Senate, and Speaker of the House by November 1 each year.