Franken: Schools need more mental health counselors
Like this?
Log in to share your opinion with MPR News and add it to your profile.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
![U.S. Sen. Al Franken](https://img.apmcdn.org/a67bdd4019415825fa763bfbbd62ebf6a43a6754/uncropped/01032b-20141223-franken01.jpg)
U.S. Sen. Al Franken says a new federal education bill needs to require schools to have more mental health counselors.
Congress is in the process of re-writing President George W. Bush's signature education legislation known as No Child Left Behind. Schools have not been able to properly address students' mental health issues, Franken said on MPR News with Tom Weber.
"In Minnesota, we're like third from the bottom on counselors," Franken said. "We have over 700 kids per counselor, which is not good."
The House version of the education bill passed with only Republican votes, but the Senate version passed with a bi-partisan super majority. Franken says mental health will be a priority when Congress comes together to discuss a combined bill.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story reported a statement by Franken out of context. The statement has been removed from this version.
Support the News you Need
Gifts from individuals keep MPR News accessible to all - free of paywalls and barriers.