Reform NJ Student Mental Health Network? Bad Idea, Critics Say

NEW JERSEY — A new, centralized mental health network for New Jersey students and families is being touted as a “first in the nation” infrastructure by Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration. But some critics are leery about the move – which will defund an existing program that has operated in roughly 90 school districts across the state since 1988.

The New Jersey Statewide Student Support Services (NJ4S) network, which will be operated by the Department of Children and Families, is expected to launch in the 2023-2024 academic year, according to Murphy’s office.

It will replace the state’s School-Based Youth Services Program, which is located in host schools and coordinates with existing resources in the community. Some services offered through the program include mental health counseling, employment counseling, substance abuse education/prevention, and “preventive health awareness” such as pregnancy prevention.

Here’s how the new program will work, Murphy’s office said:

“The NJ4S network will provide statewide coverage through regionally based hubs that will offer proven prevention strategies used to support every student in the state and their families. Each hub will integrate its programming with existing state and local services, to improve coordination and reduce duplication of effort. Hubs will offer a tiered menu of evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies that can be deployed in high-need districts. The NJ4S network will provide universal supports to all New Jersey students, and more intensive supports to students in schools with higher needs. NJ4S was informed by input from students, parents, school leaders, and providers of the state’s existing School Based Youth Services programs. Universal resources and targeted support through the hubs will focus on promoting positive mental health; teaching and strengthening social, emotional and behavioral skills; and supporting a positive school climate and staff wellbeing. Additionally, the hubs will consider the needs of the entire family in the context of serving individual students, and serve as connectors to engage existing supports through the Children’s System of Care and other state and local resources to maximize the youth mental health system’s efficacy and avoid duplication of services.”

Murphy’s office added:

“Each service hub will be staffed by a hub director, support staff, prevention specialists, and mental health counselors who can be mobilized to support the needs of schools, as well as deliver services and support at other areas within the community, including libraries, community centers, faith-based organizations, social service agencies, and even residential homes. Communities with the greatest need for services and support would be able to receive greater intensity of services from their regional hub. Each hub will be administered and implemented by a social services agency, selected through a competitive RFP process. Agencies that currently provide School-Based Youth Services would be eligible to apply to operate a hub, individually or as collaborative teams. Additionally, each hub will be guided by an Advisory Council, comprised of community and civic leaders, parent and youth representatives, school leaders and others, to ensure that the hub meets the unique needs of the community without replicating existing supports within the community.”

According to Murphy, the new network will have a wider reach and offer standardized care for more students, concentrating resources in districts that need them the most.

“Implementing this new mental health support model will allow us to reach more students and offer the evidence-based resources and services they need,” the governor said.

But some critics argue that the new “hubs” won't be able to provide the immediate access to mental health and prevention services that have existed in schools for the past 35 years.

Those opposed to the switch include Sen. Declan O’Scanlon (NJ-13), who urged Murphy to drop the plan to “reinvent the wheel” in a statement on Oct. 19.

“We fought to save this important program two years ago when the Murphy administration first threatened it, and we’ll fight again today because we know it works,” O’Scanlon said. “The infrastructure for this program is in place and it’s working well and efficiently.”

“We cannot say the same about most things government does,” the Republican lawmaker added.

Some school officials have also questioned the move, including Superintendent Scott Feder of the South Brunswick Public School District, who said local school administrators were “ambushed” about the statewide overhaul.

While reform to the state’s student mental health system is needed, the state’s plan takes away funding from South Brunswick, Feder said. South Brunswick is set to lose over $550,000 in aid which could result in the closure of the critical mental health programming, including the BRIDGE program in the high school and middle school, Feder said.

• See related article: Schools Could Lose Mental Health Center Funding In South Brunswick

Despite the criticism, there is also support for the NJ4S network, which some say is a much-needed shakeup of the status quo.

“New Jersey, like the rest of the nation, is still reeling from the trauma caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and emotional and behavioral challenges that may have been there before have been exacerbated dramatically,” Department of Children and Families Commissioner Christine Norbut Beyer said.

Beyer added:

“According to a recent CDC report, nearly one in four young adults in the United States has been treated for mental health issues during the pandemic, and the U.S. Surgeon General issued a report indicating more than 1 in 3 students reported feelings of persistent sadness and hopelessness. Depression, anxiety, and suicide attempts are all on the rise. We are at a crisis point, and we need new tools and new strategies that reflect this new reality – that's what the NJ4S proposal delivers.”

This article contains reporting by Sarah Salvadore, Patch staff

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