CO HB1028

School safety resource center must convene a working group by August 1, 2020, to assess residential mental health treatment availability and needs for children and youth identified by school personnel with severe behavioral or mental health disorders.

Working group must include representatives from Department of Education, Department of Public Health and Environment, Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, local school districts, Department of Human Services, county human/social services departments, medical providers, and residential treatment providers.

Working group shall analyze the number of children needing residential treatment from July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2020, the number of unmet bed availability, costs for additional beds, barriers to care, and options to assist schools in handling affected youth.

Center must develop a plan for identifying and making fully operational additional residential treatment beds no later than September 1, 2021.

Center shall present a report and legislative recommendations to its committee of reference at a SMART Government Act hearing in January 2021, using existing resources to implement these provisions.