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After six years under the direction of the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE), the Mental Health Intervention Team (MHIT) will be under the umbrella of the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) as of July 1, 2024.
John Calvert, head safety specialist for KSDE’s Safe and Secure Schools Unit, said MHIT breaks down the barriers that “we as adults have unintentionally put up for our students receiving mental health services.”
“It brings mental health services into the schools so that students are not missing a half-day or a full day of school to receive needed services,” he said. “MHIT brings mental health services, group therapy, and case management into the schools so that Kansas students aren’t faced with missing additional class time.”
Calvert said one of the best aspects of MHIT has been the removing of the stigma around asking for mental health help. He said students also encourage their peers to seek out help as well.
“The fact that we have students who are still here because of the program shows that it’s working,” he said.
Calvert has given much of the credit of MHIT’s success to Angie Brungardt, MHIT’s field liaison coordinator.
“She does a fantastic job of going out to each district, meeting with all the liaisons, ironing out details with the mental health providers,” he said. “She’s truly the ‘boots on the ground’ and heart of this program and she does a fantastic job.”
Where the MHIT’s transition to KDADS stands now
While the appropriation for the MHIT program has been signed into law as part of SB 28, KSDE and KDADS are waiting to see the final outcome of proviso language agreed to as part of the omnibus budget bill (HB 2551). Specifically, the proviso language will provide additional funding ($3.0 million for public schools and $1.5 million for qualified nonpublic schools) and will provide additional detail on the program’s administration.
KSDE is awaiting the status of the proviso to determine the level of involvement the state education department will have. However, it is KSDE’s understanding that KSDE will assist in transitioning the program and serve on a board to develop, at KDADS’s direction, a process for nonpublic schools to participate in the program.
House bill 2551, the omnibus budget bill, was engrossed on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, but has not yet been presented to Gov. Laura Kelly. After she receives the bill, the governor has 10 days to decide if the bill will be signed, vetoed, or if she will allow the bill to become law without her signature. Legislators discussed several different options related to the proviso during 2024 session. The version currently on its way to Gov. Kelly would do the following:
MHIT by the numbers:
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Denise Kahler (785) 296-4876 dkahler@ksde.org
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