Department of Education to give more than $208 million in grants for school mental health services

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded more than $208 million to 65 recipients to increase the number of school-based mental health service providers in high-need school districts,

The department began reframing its grant priorities for Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration and School-Based Mental Health programs in July, the release says. Those priorities were approved in September after a period of public feedback.

Those new priorities included changes to the eligibility requirements. Under the new requirements, grant funding could only be sent to state or local educational agencies who would partner with higher education institutions. This change, the press release said, puts state and local school leaders 鈥渋n the driver鈥檚 seat鈥� to decide how to address students鈥� needs.

The priorities also included 鈥渋ncreas(ing) the number of credentialed school psychologists鈥� and 鈥渂uilding necessary capacity and local support to ensure the provision of intensive mental health services beyond the life of the grant.鈥�

According to the department, the latest round of grants will reduce the ratios of students to school psychologists and improve the delivery of mental health interventions in rural and high-need areas. Half of the recipients, which will together receive more than $120 million, serve rural communities, the release said.

The grants also aim to support the recruitment and retention of school-based mental health service providers and sustain this workforce.

The release says this announcement came after the department discontinued more than 200 school-based mental health grants in April.

Those grants 鈥減rioritized the racial characteristics of providers and divisive ideologies instead of focusing on competent provision of proven mental health interventions for students,鈥� the release says. Some of these decisions have been 鈥渟et aside,鈥� the department said, due to legal challenges by 16 Democratic attorneys general.

According to , the N.C. Department of Public Instruction received $4.8 million under the Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant Program for the current fiscal year.

The grant abstract says this project 鈥渨ill increase access to mental health services by deploying licensed school psychologists and clinicians across all partner divisions; build workforce capacity through university partnerships, regional internships, and 鈥榞row-your-own鈥� training pipelines; implement a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) that integrates early identification, targeted intervention, and crisis-level care; provide outreach and telehealth access; and develop long-term sustainability through Medicaid billing systems and cost-sharing agreements among LEAs.鈥�

Ashe County Schools also received a grant under the program for the current fiscal year, of approximately $2.8 million.

According to Ashe County Schools 鈥渨ill build on the success preparing SMH (school mental health) providers to support two rural Appalachian school districts in Alleghany and Ashe counties. In addition to training school psychology students, they will provide training to build staff capacity to collaborate with school psychologists to support youth referrals to early intervention or intensive services.鈥�

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The Los Angeles Unified School District saw an increase in the number of patients, including students and their families, receiving medical, dental and behavioral health services at expanded wellness centers, according to a new  by the Los Angeles Trust for Children鈥檚 Health. 

The district鈥檚 17 wellness centers and three school-based health centers served nearly 55,000 patients during the 2023-24 school year 鈥� an increase of 9% from the previous year 鈥� with more than half of student-age patients between 14 and 19 years old. Nearly 7,500 patients visited a wellness center or school-based health center for behavioral health services, a nearly 25% increase compared to the prior year. 

鈥淲hen students have access to quality healthcare, they have greater opportunities to succeed,鈥� said Maryjane Puffer, executive director of the L.A. Trust, in the report. 鈥淭he Wellness Centers and SBHCs (school-based health centers) continue to be lifelines for students and families.鈥� 

The centers provide comprehensive behavioral health services such as mental health assessments, substance use evaluations, developmental screenings and psychotherapy. Of the patients who were between the ages of 6 and 19, 27% were receiving psychotherapy at an L.A. Unified wellness center. 

About a tenth of the children age 6 to 19 also received a mental health diagnosis, including for anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and attention deficit disorders. More than a third of those diagnoses were of 鈥渙ther disorders,鈥� including autism, disorders related to severe stress, and developmental disorders, which increased from the 2021-22 school year. 

鈥淭hese numbers reflect growing trust in the services and a deepening understanding of the connection between health and academic success,鈥� Puffer said. 

Students also received primary care services, preventative services such as medical screenings, flu and measles vaccinations, testing for sexually transmitted infections, contraceptive management, referrals to substance use treatment and dental exams. 

The report also indicated that 37% of patients 6 to 19 years old were diagnosed as overweight or obese, an increase of 7% from the previous year. Nearly half of all patients who were seen were also diagnosed as overweight or obese.

鈥淭he data also underscores ongoing challenges, including rising obesity rates and persistent behavioral health needs,鈥� Puffer said. 鈥淭hese findings fuel our commitment to expanding innovative solutions such as dental-medical integration, mental health interventions, and partnerships that promote healthier lifestyles for students.鈥� 

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A new initiative from the University of Vermont hopes to address the shortage of mental health professionals available to support the state鈥檚 youth.

Known as the Catamount Counseling Collaborative for Rural Schools, the program plans to train and place 52 school counselors, social workers and mental health clinicians in rural schools throughout Vermont for the next five years.

 from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have found rising levels of depression and anxiety among Vermont middle and high school students. 

Despite this, Vermont lacks an adequate number of . In 2023, the state鈥檚 Workforce Development Board estimated a need for 230 more providers to meet growing demand. 

The new Catamount Counseling Collaborative for Rural Schools aims to address the gap. 

Through the program 鈥� funded by a $3.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education 鈥� University of Vermont graduate students are expected to contribute at least 25,000 clinical hours annually to support rural communities.

鈥淰ermont mental health needs are pervasive and complex and they鈥檙e currently underserved and this is a way to reach them,鈥� said Anna Elliott, associate professor of counseling.

Elliott, the principal investigator for the grant, has experience running a similar initiative in Montana, where she spent five years developing a program to support rural communities with mental health professionals. 

A key part of the program, Elliot said, is to encourage graduates to continue working in rural schools or mental health facilities after completing their training. She said she tailored the program to Vermont鈥檚 unique needs. This included analyzing various statistics from community needs assessments on issues such as suicide rates, substance use disorder and the stigma associated with seeking mental health services, ensuring the program aligns closely with the landscape of Vermont鈥檚 mental health needs.

鈥淥ne of our primary goals in setting up the training program was attending to students鈥� reports that they often didn鈥檛 feel prepared to go and work in a rural environment,鈥� she said. 鈥淗aving an intensive and intentional training program that sets them up to really understand what they鈥檙e walking into and how to be prepared and how to ask for support incentivized students to stay, so we鈥檙e hoping to replicate that here.鈥�

The program offers a stipend to those who remain in their assigned schools for at least one year, helping to ease potential barriers like securing a full-time job or finding affordable housing.

In Montana, Elliott said she noticed some graduate students couldn鈥檛 stay in rural schools due to limited funding for permanent positions. Other challenges, including housing and job security, also made it difficult for them to remain in these high-need areas.

鈥淚鈥檓 taking the model that I did in Montana and integrating that in with the community schools model to not just say, 鈥榟ere鈥檚 a couple graduate students that will be here for a year鈥� but let鈥檚 actually take a systemic look at what鈥檚 happening in the school 鈥� what are the needs, resources, barriers and strength,鈥� Elliott said.

To address these challenges, the program focuses on recruiting graduate students who already come from rural areas. By offering low-residency options, the program allows these students to complete much of their coursework remotely. This means they can stay at home rather than moving to campus, making it easier for them to balance their studies with their existing commitments.

鈥淭his grant provides significant opportunity to bring students into the helping professions who might not otherwise have access to this kind of specialized training,鈥� said Danielle Jatlow, a co-principal investigator and social worker who coordinates UVM鈥檚 bachelor鈥檚 of social work program, in a press release from the university.

UVM faculty, including program co-leaders Robin Hausheer and Lance Smith, both associate professors of counseling, are starting outreach to rural schools. They hope to place graduate students in schools as early as this semester, according to the release.

鈥淭here are people and kids that are getting served this year that might not have been otherwise,鈥� Elliott said in the release. 鈥淪o that feels like everything.鈥� 

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The three most important ways that colleges can help students transition into and through higher education involve financial assistance, academic support programs and mental health services, according to the  of graduating high school seniors.

Officials at the University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso Community College and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso hope to build on last year鈥檚 numbers when they enrolled more than 49,000 students, and believe that they can accommodate those needs.

For some El Pasoans who are part of the 2023-24 freshman class, affordability is the main concern.

Alan Garcia decided to attend EPCC this fall mainly due to the financial aid package he received: His Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, earned him a full scholarship for tuition and fees.

Garcia, a 2023 Chapin High School graduate, added that other deciding factors included his interest in the college鈥檚 biology courses and labs, and his trust in his college advisers.

鈥淭hey will tell me how to do things the right way and, if I get lost (academically), they will lead me back to the correct path,鈥� said Garcia, a nursing major.

Financial aid

Students are encouraged to submit their FAFSA, and also can request additional funds from the institutions due to dire hardship or emergencies. The schools have other pools of money to assist students.

Carlos Amaya, vice president of student and enrollment services at EPCC, said the state鈥檚 new funding model for community colleges will create some changes that could affect financial aid. He said it was too early to discuss the effect of those changes.

Amaya said that EPCC students earned more than $19 million in Pell grants during the last academic year, a $2 million increase over the previous year.

At the state level, Amaya said the legislature passed a bill that would funnel more money into student grant programs such as the Texas Educational Opportunity Grant and the Texas Public Educational Grant. He added that the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board would conduct simulations to see how the new funding rules and disbursement would work for the state鈥檚 50 community college districts.

Gary Edens, who recently stepped down as vice president for Student Affairs at UTEP, said students from families with incomes of $75,000 or less can apply for the Paydirt Promise program, which allows them to attend the university and not pay tuition or mandatory fees. Seven out of 10 university students receive financial aid, according to a UTEP webpage.

Civil engineering major Loeila Casas, a 2023 Burges High School graduate, said she chose UTEP because of the financial aid 鈥� including a Pell grant and an institutional grant 鈥� as well as its engineering programs.

Edens also noted that the university鈥檚 tuition is one of the lowest among the nation鈥檚 top research universities. Annual tuition and mandatory fees for a full-time student start at about $7,300, UTEP鈥檚 Student Business Services webpage shows. 

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think anyone鈥檚 more committed in Texas for sure, and probably across the country, as far as cost of an education, and we鈥檙e going to maintain that commitment,鈥� Edens said.

Mental health and academic services

Representatives from the institutions said they plan to launch new centers, committees and resources this fall that will enhance mental health and support services for students who are dealing with academic issues as well as stress, food and housing insecurity, child care or family issues, or emotional emergencies such as suicidal thoughts. Situations that cannot be resolved by campus personnel will be referred to an off-site agency.

Hilda Alarcon, interim senior director in the TTUHSCEP Office of Student Services and Student Engagement, said her office will add an Academic Support Center on Sept. 1. The new center will offer more advanced tips on how to study and prepare for exams as well as different approaches to understand material.

Alarcon said campus leaders decided to launch this center because many of their students are used to being academically successful and the rigorous dental, nursing, medical or biomedical science curricula could be difficult for some of them.

The Academic Support Center will join the existing centers that focus on wellness, mental health support and services for people with disabilities. The office, which has three clinicians, will have another full-time and a part-time clinician also starting Sept. 1. The resources are available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays on the second floor of the Medical Sciences Building II.

However, the office also oversees the CARE team that includes administrators and staff from all TTUHSCEP schools as well as law enforcement. They will follow-up after hours with students who may be dealing with serious mental health concerns that go beyond the workday.

Steven E. Smith, vice president of Instruction and Workforce Education at EPCC, said that the college has used grant funds to enhance child care, tutoring, supplemental classroom instruction, and other support services. Where possible, EPCC has expanded its services virtually to increase access for students who work.

EPCC expects to open social services/mental health centers at its Northwest, Valle Verde and Mission del Paso campuses during the middle to late part of the fall semester. It will be staffed by a social worker and a licensed professional counselor. College leaders are settling on procedures, but some counselors already are seeing students for initial assessments. If necessary, those students are being referred to community resources.

Meanwhile, academic counselors at each EPCC campus can provide students with emergency mental health and crisis management support to include referrals to off-campus agencies.

The college hopes to hire additional personnel for these centers and to open similar offices at the Transmountain and Rio Grande campuses during the 2024-25 academic year. Until then, students at those campuses can access virtual services, said Paula Mitchell, associate vice president of Instruction & Student Success.

The college began in the spring 2021 semester to send students an engagement survey to check on their well being. One of the questions asks if they need any mental health resources. Of the nearly 8,300 responses, over 400 requested mental health assistance. 

Mitchell said the college also will start a behavioral intervention team this year made up of staff, faculty, administrators and mental health professionals who will review instances of behavioral issues that involve students and employees and act to de-escalate those situations.

鈥淲e have a lot of stuff in the works,鈥� said Mitchell, who added that EPCC provides a link to 鈥淢ental Health Resources鈥� at the bottom of every college web page.

Among UTEP鈥檚 efforts to provide greater academic support include its recent hiring of 19 advisers who were assigned to specific schools to assist students with everything from academics to personal emergencies. Officials expect those advisers to have a significant effect on student retention and progression rates.

Edens noted that the need for mental health services has grown during the past 10 years. UTEP spends about $1 million annually on mental health counseling support services.

The UT System Board of Regents recently announced a $16.5 million investment in student mental health services across its institutions. Part of UTEP鈥檚 portion will go toward free 24/7 online and telephone hotlines. Additionally, UTEP will add two interns to its counseling staff.

The university also invested about $147,000 of its COVID Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds to purchase five multi-use 鈥減rivacy鈥� pods strategically placed around campus to provide students a quiet and secure place for a virtual counseling session. Students also could use the pods for general meetings with professors or to take an exam.

鈥淚t鈥檚 to the point where we are almost having difficulty accommodating the large number of students that are needing support, which is why these 24/7 hotlines and these other resources are going to be critically valuable moving forward,鈥� Edens said.