TX SB649

Creates a new mental and behavioral health allotment under the Foundation School Program, providing school districts $100,000 base funding plus $70 per enrolled student at risk of dropping out of school

Funds must be used to provide mental health services to at-risk students and develop comprehensive school mental health systems addressing positive school climate, social-emotional skills, substance use prevention, family engagement, and staff wellness

Eligible expenditures include salaries for psychiatric nurses, child psychiatrists, licensed clinical social workers, licensed professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, staff training, community partnerships, and telehealth services when in-person providers are unavailable

Removes mental and behavioral health services from the list of permissible uses under the existing school safety allotment, separating physical security funding from mental health funding

Requires annual PEIMS reporting on outcomes and expenditures, with the commissioner publishing yearly reports on fund usage; the new allotment provision expires September 1, 2034