RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – According to the CDC, nearly one-third of students experience poor mental health. To combat this, Rapid City Area Schools was awarded a $3.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program.
The grant will extend over a five-year period and support RCAS and their Comprehensive Mental Health Enhancement Initiative to address the mental health needs of both middle and high schoolers.
With the grant, the district will be able to hire a board-certified behavioral analyst, three middle school counselors, and three high school social workers. The grant will also allow RCAS to address cultural factors of mental health and deliver trauma-informed care.
The main goals of the new services include:
Reduce the student to mental health provider ration from 434:1 to 361:1Reduce student to counselor ration from 283:1 to 217:1Increase mental health service sessions by 25 percentImprove student well-being with a decrease in survey-reported anxiety and depression by 25 percent
Cory Strasser, acting superintendent of Rapid City Area Schools, says it is important to bring mental health assistance into schools.
“We see kids every day for the majority of the school year. It’s important for us to expand our access for kids to these services so they can work through developmentally the things they need to in order to feel good about being in school and developing as young people,” Strasser said.
Strasser added after the five years are completed, the district will assess if the need for services is necessary and how to continue them if so.
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