Policy Priorities

These are the activities and strategies that the California School-Based Health Alliance (CSHA) actively leads to advance school-based health care in California.

  • Goal 1: State funding allocated for improving and sustaining school-based health and wellness centers.
  • Goal 2: Improve access to, and reimbursement for, minor consent mental health services to ensure access to confidential behavioral health services for adolescents.
  • Goal 3: Improve substance use prevention and early intervention in schools by decreasing punitive discipline policies.

Advocacy Platform

As part of its advocacy mission, CSHA often takes public positions on bills, ballot initiatives, and public policy issues that other organizations are sponsoring. The following positions denote the policies that CSHA may take a position on without additional approval from the Board. 

Recognizing that improving the health and academic success of children and youth is impacted by many factors, systems, and policies and to further the mission of advancing health services in schools, the California School-Based Health Alliance (CSHA) supports legislation and policies that:

  • Increase access and resources for school-based health and wellness services, including but not limited to school-based and school-linked health centers, wellness centers, schoolwide screenings, behavioral health services, and dental and vision services.
  • Ensure students have access to healthy school environments including but not limited to policies advancing healthy food, health education, physical activity, school climate, school staff wellness, whole child/whole youth approaches, and safe facilities.
  • Transform a health care delivery system in a direction that allows for multiple access points, integrated care, broader preventive care, reduced disparities, and improved outcomes for children and youth.
  • Promote opportunities for youth advocacy, leadership, and engagement within education and healthcare settings.
  • Increase state revenue for children’s health and education.
  • Preserve and expand access to health care coverage for children and families.
  • Create welcoming healthcare and educational environments for immigrant children and families.
  • Increase access to and reduce restrictions on youth access to sexual and reproductive health services.
  • Disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline by reducing punitive school discipline policies, maximizing access to restorative, trauma-informed approaches, and minimizing school “push out.”
  • Create equitable health, human service, and education programs for youth in the foster care and juvenile justice systems, youth experiencing homelessness, unaccompanied minors, LGBTQ youth, trafficked youth, and youth of color.