Mental health issues such as stress, anxiety, and depression are becoming more common among students. Schools often lack enough trained mental health professionals to support students, and recent laws now require school counselors to obtain parental consent before speaking with students, creating additional barriers (Texas Education Agency, 2025). Many students may not receive the necessary support, which can have an impact on their academic performance and general well-being. 

 It is crucial to increase the availability of mental health professionals in schools to promote student academic performance and general well-being. Post-pandemic levels of childhood mental health have seen a shift from feelings of sadness decreasing to an increase in depression, anxiety, and attention deficit disorders (Collaborative Task Force on Public School Mental Health Services, 2025). While there has been a slight increase in national trends, there are still gaps and inconsistencies in funding and regulation surrounding mental health access in schools. According to the Collaborative Task Force on Public School Mental Health Services (2025), there is no dedicated funding for school districts in Texas for mental health services, rather the funding comes from local sources such as Local Mental Health Authorities (LMHA). They rely on this funding for training the special educators in schools instead of having their own funding. This can lead to underfunding and inconsistencies in care due to policy changes by the local, state, or federal government.  

“Estimations show that up to 75% of students suffering from mental ill-health receive inadequate treatment or are not treated at all.” (Richter et al., 2022). With so many children and adolescents not receiving adequate mental health services, we leave them vulnerable to a life of poor physical health, substance abuse, delinquency, employment issues, or a premature death. According to the study by Richter et al. (2022), schools that are allowed to use funding to individualize the school mental health care programs, we can see an increase in the success of early interventions which will lead to a better quality of life into adulthood.  

Failure to provide dedicated funding for accessible and professional mental health support impacts the safety and well-being of Texas students. The current policies are a moral and economic detriment to all students. Implementing the proposed strategy which includes securing funding and removing unnecessary consent barriers is an actionable plan for the change needed to benefit and ensure the safety of the children of Texas. This movement demands that we prioritize our children by investing in mental health professionals to be easily assessable to the children in Texas schools. 

Call to Action 
Current policies prevent Texas students from getting the treatment and help the deserve. Signing this petition will assist in helping Governor Greg Abbott and TEA (Texas Education Agency) seriously consider the need to mandate funding and reform to potentially harmful consent laws. After you sign, please share this with everyone you know to ensure widespread knowledge of the need for mental health professionals in Texas schools. 
 

We are prepared to send this petition to Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas senate education committee to invest in the mental health care of Texas' youth. 
 
 
References 
Collaborative Task Force on Public School Mental Health Services. (2025). *The Collaborative  Task Force on Public School Mental Health Services: Year 4*.   https://schoolmentalhealthtx.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/The-Collaborative-Task-Force-on-Public-School-Mental-Health-Services-Final.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com 

Richter, A., Sjunnestrand, M., Strandh, M. R., & Hasson, H. (2022). Implementing school-based  mental health services: A scoping review of the literature summarizing the factors that  affect implementation. *International Journal of Environmental Research and Public  Health, 19*(6), 3489. 
 https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063489 

Texas Education Agency. (2025, August 28). *SB 12: Required parental rights form and right to  health-related services information*. Texas.gov. 
 https://tea.texas.gov/about-tea/news-and-multimedia/correspondence/taa-letters/sb-12 required-parental-rights-form-and-right-to-health-related-services-information