Educational multiagency services for students with severe emotional disturbance.

(1)(a) The multiagency network for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities works with education, mental health, child welfare, and juvenile justice professionals, along with other agencies and families, to provide children with mental illness or emotional and behavioral problems and their families with access to the services and supports they need to succeed. District school boards should provide educational programs, and state departments and agencies administering children’s mental health funds should provide mental health treatment and residential services when needed, as part of the multiagency network.

(b) The purpose of the multiagency network is to:

1. Enable students with severe emotional disturbance to learn appropriate behaviors, reduce dependency, and fully participate in all aspects of school and community living.

2. Develop individual programs for students with severe emotional disturbance, including necessary educational, residential, and mental health treatment services.

3. Provide programs and services as close as possible to the student’s home in the least restrictive manner consistent with the student’s needs.

4. Integrate a wide range of services necessary to support students with severe emotional disturbance and their families.

(c) The multiagency network shall:

1. Support and represent the needs of students in each school district in joint planning with fiscal agents of children’s mental health funds, including the expansion of school-based mental health services, transition services, and integrated education and treatment programs.

2. Improve coordination of services for children with or at risk of emotional or behavioral disabilities and their families by assisting multiagency collaborative initiatives to identify critical issues and barriers of mutual concern and develop local response systems that increase home and school connections and family engagement.

3. Increase parent and youth involvement and development with local systems of care.

4. Facilitate student and family access to effective services and programs for students with and at risk of emotional or behavioral disabilities that include necessary educational, residential, and mental health treatment services, enabling these students to learn appropriate behaviors, reduce dependency, and fully participate in all aspects of school and community living.

5. Participate in the planning process for promoting a coordinated system of care for children and adolescents pursuant to s. 394.4955.

(2) The department may award grants to district school boards for statewide planning and development of the multiagency network for students with severe emotional disturbance. The educational services shall be provided in a manner consistent with the requirements of ss. 402.22 and 1003.57.

(3) State departments and agencies may use appropriate funds for the multiagency network for students with severe emotional disturbance.