Macon schools receive over $2M to boost mental health resources for local students
The Bibb County School District will receive $2.5 million in federal money to help combat the city’s youth mental health crisis and hire more professional counselors in school settings, Sen. Jon Ossoff announced Thursday.
The grant is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s School Based Mental Health Grant program, which provides public schools with resources to hire and retain “licensed mental health providers that will better support children,” Ossoff announced Thursday in a press release.
“There are real and ongoing mental health concerns for young people, particularly students in K-12 schools, and it’s an issue parents across Georgia care deeply about,” Ossoff said in a statement. “These new resources for local school districts will help provide mental health services in schools in Georgia.”
Previous reporting from The Telegraph found that mental health is a critical issue for Macon teens, as the city’s rate of 10 to 19-year-olds discharged from hospitals for self-harm exceeded the Georgia state average in 2022.
Bibb County Schools Project AWARE coordinator, Tajalyn Woodruff, described the money as a “transformative step” for the district.
“This grant will enable us to improve the way we focus on the wellness of our students by increasing student access to mental health professionals while also developing a fully coordinated system of social emotional and behavioral supports for students within our schools,” Woodruff said in a statement.
Project AWARE is a five-year federal grant program in Georgia that aims to improve the mental health of school-aged youth.
Rep. Sanford D. Bishop Jr. said the program will help make Bibb County schools safer by ensuring each student receives the necessary care and attention that they deserve.
“When children in need of help are supported at school, behavior problems are less likely to occur and grades and test scores are more likely to improve,” Bishop also said in a press release. “Georgia schools are places where every student should feel safe and cared for.”
The Bibb County School District was awarded about $2.6 million
Bibb County Schools intend to use the federal funding to hire 13 new employees, including 11 mental health professionals, according to Ossoff’s office.
“Bringing both political parties together and putting the needs of our kids above partisan interests, I helped pass bipartisan legislation to strengthen mental health services for young people in Georgia across the country,” Ossoff said.
This story was originally published November 1, 2024 at 8:50 AM.