Mental Health Matters Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. HAYES. Mr. Chair, as a teacher, I rise in strong support of the Mental Health Matters Act.

This crucial legislation will help rebuild schools and address the mental health crisis plaguing our country by providing schools with resources to help students and educators heal and recover after this pandemic.

I am excited that this package includes my legislation, the Supporting Trauma-Informed Education Practices Act. My legislation specifically will help develop and improve prevention, screening, referral, treatment, and support services to students. It will implement schoolwide positive behavioral interventions and provide professional development to school personnel. This legislation will also engage with families and communities to increase awareness of child and youth trauma.

The broader impact of the pandemic on students and their families is often overlooked. We talk about the number of children who were lost as a result of being low, but I remind everyone that those children lost parents, grandparents, neighbors, and community members to the COVID-19 pandemic. That loss has taken a tremendous toll on their ability to learn and thrive in school.

The impact of trauma is greater than just one incident. No person, especially a child, should ever have to carry that weight alone.

As students continue to heal from the most traumatizing interruption to their academic journeys, they need strong, reliable, and accessible support services.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this bill to ensure students recover completely.

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