Greensboro, N.C. – A federal grant worth nearly $15 million will allow Guilford County Schools (GCS) to expand its on-demand mental health resources for students. The 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data released last month shows alarming mental health trends among students in North Carolina.

“Through our Community Conversations, we’ve spoken a great deal about the need for increased mental health services for both students and staff, and recent tragedies in our community underscore how urgent that need truly is,” says Superintendent Dr. Whitney Oakley. “This funding will allow us to further address the mental health needs and strengthen the resources in our schools to support students and staff.”

The School-Based Mental Health Services grant from the U.S. Department of Education will help expand on-demand mental health services at 61 schools across the district and will provide funding for 16 new full-time mental health clinician positions over the next five years. The school-based clinicians may be trained in counseling, psychology or social work, and will help improve the ratios of counselors, psychologists and social workers serving students.

The district will also partner with local universities to recruit a diverse pool of graduate students to serve in assistantships and fellowships that build their skills and experience in providing school-based mental health services, creating a talent pool of qualified candidates to fill district positions.  

Last October, using federal relief dollars, GCS launched mental health services at 46 schools to provide on-demand school-based mental health services to students with parental consent. Nearly 1,000 students signed up within the first month. The district expanded those services to 46 additional schools last month and made services available to all staff.

The School-Based Mental Health Services grant requires federal and district project investments. The federal government will provide 75 percent of project funding, and the district will provide a 25 percent match. The Department of Education will provide $14,835,019 over five years, and GCS will provide $3,708,755, bringing the total investment in school-based mental health services for students to $18,543,744

About Guilford County Schools 

Guilford County Schools, the third largest school district in North Carolina and among the largest of more than 14,000 in the United States, serves nearly 70,000 PK-12 students at 126 schools. With approximately 9,800 employees, GCS works in partnership with parents, businesses, colleges and the community to deliver an education that connects student interests and skills with the careers and economy of our future here and around the world. We provide educational choices to meet individual student needs in a culturally diverse citizenship and new opportunities to help our students grow. For more information, visit the district’s website at www.gcsnc.com.