The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction has been awarded more than $11 million in federal funding to strengthen school-based mental health services, according to a release from the agency.
The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Education as part of more than $208 million awarded nationwide through the Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Program and the School-Based Mental Health Services Program. The grants will focus on expanding school psychology training, recruitment and retention efforts, particularly in high-need and rural school districts.
“It is clear that mental health support is crucial for North Carolina’s public schools to fully support and nurture students,” State Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green said in a statement. “These funds will allow our state to not only better serve our students, but also strengthen this essential talent pipeline.”
NCDPI received $4.8 million over four years through the Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant. The funding will support the NC School Psychology Internship Program, known as NC SPIn. The program is designed to expand access to school psychologists by providing salary and housing stipends for interns serving in high-need, primarily rural districts.
The grant also funds supervision for interns and training for both interns and practicing school psychologists to implement preventative and intensive mental health interventions for students.
An additional $6.4 million over four years was awarded through the School-Based Mental Health Services Grant to support the NC School Psychologists Supporting our Students, or SoS, project.
The initiative aims to increase the number of school psychologists in high-need districts by offering recruitment and retention stipends. The grant also includes funding to help educators in rural districts become trained as school psychologists and return to serve their local communities. Professional development opportunities will also be expanded to strengthen school psychologists’ ability to provide mental health services.
State education leaders said the federal investment supports ongoing efforts to address student mental health needs and build a sustainable school psychology workforce, particularly in rural and underserved communities across North Carolina.