DC Scales Back School Mental Health Promise Amid Staffing Crisis

The District of Columbia Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) has dialed back its 2018 commitment to place a licensed mental health clinician in every one of the city's 264 public and public charter school campuses, opting instead for a flexible, needs-based staffing approach that began this fall and targets completion by the end of the 2027-2028 school year. As of Nov. 1, 158 schools have at least one clinician, but 70 lack any assigned provider and 21 positions remain unfilled, according to DBH's staffing list. DBH Director Barbara Bazron, PhD, cited staffing shortages, underperforming contracts with a dozen local nonprofits, and issues like poor student enrollment and billing as reasons for the change, emphasizing that in-house staff will ensure 'consistent training, quality and coordination'.

This reversal builds on a 2012 mandate from the D.C. Council’s South Capitol Street Memorial Amendment Act, which required a comprehensive school-based behavioral health plan to cover all schools by school year 2016-17, focusing on early intervention, social-emotional learning and reaching 50% of schools by 2014-15. Despite years of efforts, challenges persisted, prompting a shift from full-time clinicians in every school to part-time, shared or telehealth options, particularly for high schools. DBH, which runs prevention, early intervention and clinical services through contacts like program lead Meghan Sullivan at (202) 673-4307, plans to hire 113 full-time positions over three years, transitioning from 40 in-house clinicians and 98 contracted ones to fully internal operations by 2028. A new Coordinating Council on School Behavioral Health will oversee planning, data tracking and a public dashboard for transparency.

School leaders and advocates are sounding alarms, with some reporting lost clinicians and fears that scaling back will exacerbate youth mental health struggles amid post-COVID anxiety spikes. DC Public Schools' School Mental Health Team already supports over 250 psychologists and social workers offering therapeutic services citywide, complemented by resources like the DCPS Mental Health Resources Guide for SY23-24. Calls grow for sustained Council funding to make services culturally responsive, research-based and equitable, aiming to boost attendance, reduce crises and support families in wards from Anacostia to Dupont Circle.