Establishes School-based Partnerships for Access and Resilience for Kids program in DCF; requires school districts to develop mental health support and partnership programs. **
What changed between versions
A new phased applicability provision (Section 2, subsection a.1) requires that for the first six months after enactment until the first day of the 25th month, only school districts, charter schools, or renaissance school projects selected by the Commissioner of Education (in consultation with DCF) to participate in SPARK services are subject to the program requirements. After that period, the provisions apply to all such schools statewide.
The original Section 2 required all school districts, charter schools, and renaissance school projects to immediately develop a comprehensive mental health support program upon the six-month effective date. The amended version delays universal compliance until after the 25th month, with only selected pilot schools required to comply during the interim period.
The effective date schedule in Section 9 was changed: sections 3, 5, and 6 now take effect six months after enactment (previously the first day of the 25th month), while section 2 remains at six months but now operates under its own internal phased rollout. Section 1 remains immediate and section 4 remains at 90 days.
The entire STATEMENT section (a narrative summary of the bill's provisions) was removed from the reprint version, which is standard when a bill is reported out of committee with amendments.
