HB1754

I strongly support the availability of MTSS-B in schools. So many children and youth today are facing challenges to their mental and emotional help. Schools ARE and WILL BE places that can help these kids have productive, happier lives. MTSS-B supports that. Let’s not turn our backs on kids with needs.

NH’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports for Behavioral Health and Wellness (MTSS-B) is a framework that helps provide behavioral health support to our students. The three tiers of this system work together to ensure that all kids in our public schools are given positive behavioral expectations. Some children can benefit from Tier 2, which simply means they will receive coping support and skill building. This can help children who are struggling in school. The kids with the highest needs have access to individualized behavioral health services through local community health care partners. There will always be some children who need more supports to be successful, and this is a thoughtful and impactful way of helping those children. MTSS-B can reduce exclusionary practices like suspension and expulsion. It can improve instructional time by decreasing disruptive behaviors in the classroom, and it can increase academic success. This initiative had bipartisan support and was signed into law by a republican governor just a few short years ago. I am not sure why this committee is considering ending the Multi-Tiered System of Supports before we see the impact it could have on our students. Please give this framework a chance to make a difference. Please vote ITL on this bill.

Students do not enter classrooms as blank slates. They arrive carrying stress, trauma, mental health challenges, and unmet needs. Research consistently shows that between 13 and 20 percent of youth experience significant mental health concerns, and fewer than half receive the support they require. For many students, school is the most stable and consistent access point for assistance. Removing a coordinated system of support weakens that access. MTSS-B operates through a tiered model. Universal supports create positive, predictable environments for all students. Targeted interventions provide skill-building and short-term assistance for those who need additional help. Intensive supports are individualized and coordinated for students with more complex needs. This structure mirrors how schools approach academic instruction. It is thoughtful, data-informed, and responsive. MTSS-B reflects a simple but critical principle: behavior is often a form of communication. When a student is struggling, the appropriate response is to examine the environment, the available supports, and the unmet needs. If we remove preventative systems, we increase reliance on exclusionary discipline and crisis response. That shift disproportionately impacts students with disabilities, students of color, and other marginalized youth. HB 1754 would dismantle a coordinated approach that supports both educators and students. It does not offer a replacement framework. It simply removes structure at a time when schools need clarity and consistency. On behalf of ABLE NH, I respectfully urge you to vote Inexpedient to Legislate on HB 1754.

MTSS-B offers critical support that NH children need. MTSS-B creates a structured, prevention-focused framework that supports both children and the adults who serve them. At its core, MTSS-B recognizes that child mental health is equal to physical health and must be treated with the same urgency, infrastructure, and access to care. Through universal supports for all students, targeted interventions for those at risk, and intensive individualized services for students with significant needs, MTSS-B ensures that no child falls through the cracks. In a time when youth suicide rates remain alarmingly high, schools cannot rely on reactive discipline alone; they must be equipped with proactive, layered systems that identify distress early and respond with care rather than punishment. MTSS-B also strengthens teachers and school staff by providing education, training, and clear pathways for action. Educators are often the first to notice warning signs, social withdrawal, behavioral changes, emotional dysregulation, but without a coordinated system, those concerns can feel overwhelming or unsupported. MTSS-B builds shared language, consistent protocols, and collaborative teams so teachers know what to look for, how to document concerns, and where to refer students. This reduces burnout, increases confidence, and transforms schools from places of crisis management into environments of early intervention and resilience-building. Most importantly, MTSS-B connects students and families to real resources. It aligns school-based supports with community mental health providers, behavioral specialists, and family services, creating a continuum of care rather than isolated efforts. By embedding social-emotional learning, trauma-informed practices, and restorative approaches into daily school life, MTSS-B builds protective factors that buffer against anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation.

Oppose HB 1754 HB 1754 moves our education system backward by removing the very tools designed to support the 'whole child.' For the sake of student achievement and classroom stability, I urge the committee to vote Inexpedient to Legislate on this bill

As a mental health professional working closely with schools to support students mental health, I have seen first-hand the importance of strong MTSS-B and interconnected systems. By providing early prevention, education for all, and intentional tiered supports, students are able to better access mental health supports that they need, when they need it. This allows them to better access their education. Without addressing underlying mental health needs, their academics are at risk. We must continue to address mental health and social-emotional needs in schools at all levels.

I oppose this bill because: As a child and family services therapist for 30 years, I found the inclusion of all the people involved in the child essential to providing the supports needed. The GAL would contact the professionals interacting with a child or family and ensure the child/family was well supported by the team to achieve best outcome.

Multi Tiered Systems of Support for Behavior (MTSS-B) are a framework, not a program. MTSS-B is prevention and support for student success, not punishment. Our schools are more successful with frameworks of support that prevent disruption, not relying solely on crisis management after behavior has disrupted the student and the classroom. In Milford, MTSS-B frameworks have decreased time out of the classroom and decreased student suspensions. Please vote ITL on the bill.

AFT-NH opposes HB 1754 because it repeals New Hampshire’s statewide MTSS-B framework, which is the system schools use to catch the signs of student stress, anxiety, or behavioral struggles early and offer the right level of support before problems escalate. MTSS-B doesn’t replace academics—it *protects* academic learning time by reducing classroom disruptions, helping students stay calmer and more focused on their learning, and ensuring teachers can spend more time teaching instead of managing preventable outbursts. Eliminating this statewide structure would remove a proven safety net for students and leave teachers without coordinated tools that improve academic focus and school climate.

As a teacher with 14 years experience working with Kindergarten through grade 4 students, I feel that it is imperative that schools have all of the support they need in identifying and providing resources for students' behavioral health and wellness needs. Teaching through the Covid pandemic and after has shown me that children's mental health needs are at an all time high, therefor I oppose House Bill 1754.

Honorable Chair and Members of the House Education Policy and Administration Committee, As a parent of two children in public school and a former public school teacher, I strongly oppose this bill. MTSS-B is an essential framework that helps students thrive academically and supports teachers.

Dear Members of the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, I am compelled to voice my vehement opposition to New Hampshire House Bill HB 1754. This legislation represents a direct assault on our communities' safety and well-being, and we cannot afford to stand idly by while it threatens to erode the very foundations of justice and public health. A Reckless Misstep HB 1754 seeks to expand punitive measures without addressing the root causes of crime or the needs of our most vulnerable populations. Instead of investing in solutions that rehabilitate, this bill proposes to further entrench a system that relies on fear and punishment. We should be investing in prevention and community support—not adding to an already overburdened criminal justice system that fails to protect our communities effectively. The Cycle of Harm By focusing on punitive measures, this bill overlooks critical evidence showing that harsh penalties do not reduce crime rates. Instead, they perpetuate a cycle of harm, pushing individuals deeper into the justice system rather than providing the help they desperately need. Targeting symptoms instead of causes will only exacerbate the crises we face. Prioritize Compassion and Support Our focus should be on rehabilitation, mental health support, and community resources that empower individuals instead of driving them further away from recovery. This bill misrepresents public safety by promoting isolation and punitive action rather than connecting individuals with the support systems that actually work. I implore you to recognize the importance of thoughtful, compassionate approaches to public safety. Reject HB 1754 and work toward legislation that uplifts and strengthens our communities rather than tearing them apart. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. Sincerely, Kimberly Lawrence

This bill repeals the requirement for multi-tiered support for those who need behavioral health treatment. Coordination of support is vital for successful mental health interventions. Please don't allow the repeal of this system of support. Do not pass this bill.

A multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) makes sense in schools because it helps every student get the right help at the right time—without waiting for them to fail first. Students get what they need instead of a "one-size-fits-all" approach. Some students need extra support or a different instructional approach -- more intensive interventions at the tier 2 or 3 level are necessary. It's simply about good instruction and taking away the language of "MTSS" is plain foolish.

I oppose this bill. It is not a program. It is not punishment. It is a framework that helps schools respond early, work together, and keep students learning. Behavior is communication, not defiance. When students’ needs go unmet, learning, relationships, and school climate suffer. MTSS-B gives schools the structure to respond with support instead of discipline. HB 1754 would eliminate MTSS-B statewide. That does not eliminate student needs. It eliminates the system that helps schools meet them. Public schools are one of the most consistent access points for mental health and behavioral support. Disabled students and other marginalized students will be harmed first when those supports are taken away.

I oppose this bill. It is not a program. It is not punishment. It is a framework that helps schools respond early, work together, and keep students learning. Behavior is communication, not defiance. When students’ needs go unmet, learning, relationships, and school climate suffer. MTSS-B gives schools the structure to respond with support instead of discipline. HB 1754 would eliminate MTSS-B statewide. That does not eliminate student needs. It eliminates the system that helps schools meet them. Public schools are one of the most consistent access points for mental health and behavioral support. Disabled students and other marginalized students will be harmed first when those supports are taken away.

Parents bring their children in the world. Parents have beliefs and value systems. But parents cannot control who their children are or how their child feels. We have the research. We know the extremely negative impact when caregivers deny, disparage, or punish a child due to the child's identity. We have far too many children who have been emotionally harmed by their parents' inability to support them. The state should absolutely NOT consider an adoptive family for a child if the adoptive family does not support the child's identity. A child in foster care has a right to be placed in a family that will love and support them unconditionally.

I strongly oppose HB1754 because MTSS-B provides essential, evidence-based behavioral-health supports that help students succeed and reduce crises in schools. Repealing this framework would undermine mental-health services and create inconsistent practices across districts. I urge the committee to maintain MTSS-B to ensure students receive the support they need.

Mental and behavioral health supports are crucial for our students and our communities. Research shows that these supports work. Removing universal and targeted supports for our students’ very real and significant emotional needs is reckless and counterproductive, and schools without the resources they need to ensure their students are ready to be educated. Trauma is endemic to NH society and our kids are hit the worst. DO NOT remove MTSSB and leave our students stranded.

As an educator in a public school, I realize the importance of MTSS-B. Please support this bill and allow our school districts the money that these students and schools need.

We need all systems to work together.

Collaboration is important.

Stop cutting supports for our vulnerable kids. They need all the support they can get.

I oppose this bill which would repeal the statewide use of the multitiered system of supports for behavioral health and wellness relative to the systems of care for children's mental health. Repealing the current system would result in a fragmented system of care for behavioral health needs.