- Associated Press - Friday, March 16, 2018

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky’s House of Representatives has responded to school shootings by voting to require one mental health professional for every 1,500 students — if districts have the money.

Key language in House bill 604 says “as funds are available,” which means lawmakers did not provide money to hire these mental health workers, and districts will be held accountable only if they can afford it. Many districts in Kentucky would likely have trouble hiring the workers because of budget shortfalls.

A shooting in January at Kentucky’s Marshall County High School killed two students and injured more than a dozen others, a month before 17 people were killed at a Florida high school. House budget chairman Steven Rudy said he hopes lawmakers can find a way of funding the positions.

Copyright © 2018 The Washington Times, LLC.

The Washington Times Comment Policy

The Washington Times is switching its third-party commenting system from Disqus to Spot.IM. You will need to either create an account with Spot.im or if you wish to use your Disqus account look under the Conversation for the link "Have a Disqus Account?". Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.

 

Click to Read More and View Comments

Click to Hide