South Carolina § 59-66-40 - School safety task force; reporting requirement; termination.

§ 59-66-40. School safety task force; reporting requirement; termination.

(A)(1) There is created a school safety task force to:

(a) examine the various funding streams for school-based mental health services and determine how these streams may best be utilized in order to provide more accessible and efficient delivery of mental health programs;

(b) examine school mental health staffing ratios and provide suggestions that allow for the full delivery of services and effective school-community partnerships, including collaboration between school districts;

(c) develop standards for district level policies to promote effective school discipline and mental health intervention services;

(d) examine current intra- and interagency collaboration and suggest ways to improve cooperation; and

(e) examine how to best support multitiered systems of support.

(2) Any recommendations made by the task force must be revenue neutral.

(3) The task force shall report its findings and make recommendations concerning proposed changes to the General Assembly.

(B) The task force must be composed of:

(1) one member appointed by the South Carolina Association of Licensed Professional Counselors;

(2) one member appointed by the South Carolina Society for Clinical Social Work;

(3) one member appointed by the South Carolina Education Association;

(4) one member appointed by the Palmetto State Teachers Association;

(5) one member appointed by the South Carolina School Counselor Association;

(6) one member appointed by the South Carolina Association of School Psychologists;

(7) one member appointed by the South Carolina Association of School Social Workers;

(8) one member appointed by the South Carolina Association for Marriage and Family Therapy;

(9) one member appointed by the South Carolina Association of School Administrators;

(10) one member appointed by the South Carolina School Boards Association;

(11) one member appointed by the Office of Mental Health;

(12) one member appointed by the South Carolina Association of School Resource Officers;

(13) one member appointed by the Chief of the State Law Enforcement Division;

(14) one member appointed by the Governor;

(15) one member appointed by the State Superintendent of Education;

(16) two members appointed by the Chairman of the House Education and Public Works Committee; and

(17) two members appointed by the Chairman of the Senate Education Committee.

(C) Vacancies in the membership of the task force must be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term in the manner of original appointment.

(D) Members of the task force shall serve without compensation and may not receive mileage or per diem.

(E) The staffing for the task force must be provided by the staff of the House Education and Public Works Committee and Senate Education Committee.

(F) The task force shall make a report of its recommendations to the General Assembly no later than December 31, 2014, at which time the task force must be dissolved.

HISTORY: 2014 Act No. 252 (H.3365), SECTION 1, eff June 6, 2014.

Code Commissioner's Note

At the direction of the Code Commissioner, certain references in the S.C. Code to the State Department of Mental Health, South Carolina Mental Health Commission, Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, Department of Disabilities and Special Needs Commission, Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services, and other related terms were changed to reflect the restructuring of these agencies into component offices under the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, pursuant to 2025 Act No. 3, SECTION 18.