$5B grant program targets counselor shortages in high‑need schools

For many students, the first place a mental‑health struggle shows up is at school. In the U.S. Senate, lawmakers are considering a proposal focused on putting more trained help inside those buildings, particularly in communities where staffing shortages are most severe.

The Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Act, introduced by Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon with 18 cosponsors, would provide federal grants to states to help school districts recruit and retain counselors, psychologists and social workers. The aim is to place more school‑based mental‑health professionals in high‑need public elementary and secondary schools, where students often first encounter support.

The student mental‑health picture driving the proposal

Lawmakers behind the bill point to national data showing a sharp level of distress among teenagers. Nearly one in five children ages 13 through 17 has been diagnosed with a mental, emotional or behavioral health condition.

Federal health statistics from 2021 through 2023 show that 20 percent of adolescents ages 12 to 17 reported symptoms of anxiety in the previous two weeks, while 18 percent reported symptoms of depression. Half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14.

The consequences often extend into education. More than half of students with a mental‑health condition who are 14 or older eventually drop out of school, the highest dropout rate of any disability group.