THE SENATE
S.R. NO.
42
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026
STATE OF HAWAII
SENATE RESOLUTION
urging the department of education, in consultation with the department of health, to conduct a study on the cost and benefits of hiring mental health professionals for every public school and of distributing guidelines on telehealth safe spaces.
WHEREAS, there is an urgent and growing mental health crisis among the youth of the United States; and
WHEREAS, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, rates of depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts among students have increased significantly in recent years; and
WHEREAS, in the State, the mental health crisis is made worse by a shortage of mental health professionals; and
WHEREAS, despite the use of telehealth services to make up for the lack of mental health professionals, young patients utilizing telehealth have declined in recent years, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and
WHEREAS, reasons for the decline in the use of telehealth services may be attributed to the absence of a safe and quiet space to conduct impactful virtual sessions, especially during school hours; and
WHEREAS, public schools play a vital role in addressing the issue of youth mental health due to their supervision over students for most of the hours of the day, for most of the weeks of the year; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2026, that the Department of Education, in consultation with the Department of Health, is urged to conduct a study on the cost and benefits of hiring one mental health professional for every two hundred fifty students that are enrolled in a public school and one mental health professional for every public school with fewer than two hundred fifty students; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study is requested to include an analysis of the costs and benefits arising from the development of guidelines for the establishment and operation of safe spaces for students to access telehealth services on school property during normal school hours and from the distribution of the guidelines to each public middle and high school in the State; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to submit a report of its study, including any findings, recommendations, and proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2027; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education, Superintendent of Education, and Director of Health.
OFFERED BY:
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Report Title:
DOE; DOH; Safe Spaces for Students; Telehealth; Mental Health; Public Schools; Mental Health Professionals; Middle Schools; High Schools; Study