To: NJ4S Feedback

Copies to the Commissioners of Education and Children and Family Services

 I am writing today on behalf of the Garden State Coalition of Schools (GSCS), a non-partisan organization of about 100 districts statewide.  We have serious concerns about the Governor’s proposal to create a new, regionalized student mental health initiative, the New Jersey Statewide Student Support Services (NJ4S) Network, within the Department of Children and Families (DCF).  The projected launch for NJ4S is the 2023-2024 school year.

GSCS has a long history of supporting expansion of mental health services for students.  As districts continue to cope with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, those services have never been more important.  We are very supportive of any expansion of existing mental health services for students, but believe that to be truly successfully for all of New Jersey’s students, the NJ4S initiative requires additional time and thought.  

We are especially concerned about the way in which NJ4S will affect vital continuity of care for students currently receiving services under the existing School Based Youth Services Program (SBYSP).  SBYSP currently serves thousands of students in over 90 districts statewide, and provides and array of preventive health, mental health and other support services.  It is no exaggeration to say that these services function as a lifeline for many of those students, and should not be subjected to an abrupt cut-off in June 2023.  This is especially true because we also believe that ensuring the success of the services described in NJ4S must, by necessity, require a significantly longer timeframe than that mapped out by DCF. 

The longer timeframe will also help ensure that the regional mental health hubs are adequately staffed.  Given the shortage of mental health professionals, this a real concern.  Even if the hubs are operated on a contract basis, with private providers responsible for staffing and administration, the shortages will affect the levels of care available to students.  Continuing the SBYSP while developing the NJ4S initiative over a longer period of time is a better way of matching the aims of the initiative with the realities of the current mental health staffing landscape.

We agree that our students need all the mental health support that the state can muster and appreciate the administration’s commitment to that support.  Combining a continuing commitment to SBYSP and extending the timeframe for implementation of NJ4S is the best way to support our students now and in the future.