On Monday, the U.S. Department of Education announced that applications have opened for two grant programs to bolster mental health services for students.
Nearly $280 million in federal funds are available through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. This is the first of $1 billion in funds that are being allocated over the next five years, according to the ED.
“For too long, schools have lacked the resources to hire enough school-based mental health providers, when at the same time educators are often first to notice when a student is slipping academically or struggling because of mental health challenges,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona in a statement.
School-based mental health services
The first program provides funding to schools to physically increase the amount of certified school-based mental health professionals. The grant will provide $144 million each year for five years. Schools may receive between $500,000 to $3,000,000 each year.
According to the ED, an estimated 150 awards will be distributed. Prospective applicants will be provided with two technical assistance webinars on Oct. 11 and Oct. 19, 2022. Details can be found here.
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Mental health service professional demonstration program
The second program will support innovative partnerships between school districts and colleges to train mental health service providers to serve in schools; $143 million over five years is available. Schools may receive between $400,000 and $1,200,000 each year. The ED estimates distributing up to 250 awards for this program. Technical webinars for this are also being held on Oct. 12 and Oct. 18, 2022, to offer more guidance for potential applicants. Details can be found here.
These programs are part of President Biden’s efforts to tackle the mental health crisis in schools across the country.
“We know children and youth can’t do their best learning when they’re experiencing depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges whether they stem from community violence, social isolation from the pandemic, loss of loved ones, bullying, harassment, or something else,” said Cardona. “This funding from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act will help schools raise the bar for student mental health by recruiting, preparing, hiring, and training highly qualified school-based mental health providers, including in underserved communities and for students such as multilingual learners and those from low-income backgrounds and in rural communities, where access to such services can be limited.”
