The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction says 64 school districts and consortiums are getting a piece of $3.25 million in state grant funding to provide school-based mental health services.
Some of the 64 schools are located in Northeast Wisconsin, including Appleton, De Pere, Ashwaubenon, Green Bay, Oshkosh and Fond du Lac.
According to DPI, the new grant program attracted proposals from 141 applicants, representing 182 school districts and charter schools and requesting more than $8 million. Grants fund activities for the 2018-19 school year and range from just over $11,000 to the grant maximum of $75,000.
DPI representatives say students deal with the same mental health issues as adults, such as anxiety, depression, self-harm, and substance abuse. They say these problems can tie into major challenges found in schools: chronic absence, low achievement, disruptive behavior, and dropping out.
DPI says money can be used for a variety of services including:
-Develop and support student and staff social and emotional wellness
-Increase staff capacity to create trauma sensitive environments
-Provide training to staff and students to recognize mental health challenges and know how to advocate for themselves and others
-Provide student support groups led by school and community mental health providers
-Develop referral processes to ensure students who need additional support are referred to qualified providers
-Create spaces in schools for community mental health providers to work with students
-Provide guidance to students and families to access multiple systems and supports
Here is a list of districts receiving Mental Health Services Grants:
Adams-Friendship Area $54,297
Altoona $75,000
Amery $75,000
Appleton Area $65,000
Arcadia $59,650
Ashwaubenon $69,500
Beaver Dam Unified $74,760
Beloit $75,000
Boscobel Area $68,171
Cadott Community $23,926
Chippewa Falls Area Unified $75,000
De Pere $71,297
Elkhorn Area $67,500
Ellsworth Community $75,000
Fond du Lac $75,000
Green Bay Area Public $49,535
Hayward Community $55,500
Hudson $70,985
Jefferson County Mental Health Consortium $75,000 -- Edgerton, Fort Atkinson, Jefferson, Johnson Creek, Lake Mills Area, Watertown Unified, and Whitewater Unified
Kenosha $52,195
Kettle Moraine $75,000
La Crosse $24,100
Little Chute Area $32,688
Lodi $23,300
Madison Metropolitan $75,000
Marinette $57,700
Menominee Indian $75,000
Milwaukee Public $75,000
New London $57,500
Northwood $62,375
Onalaska $58,860
Oshkosh Area $75,000
Pardeeville Area $11,119
Pewaukee $42,720
Phillips $68,700
Prairie du Chien Area $75,000
Prescott $66,700
Racine Unified $75,000
Ripon Area $75,000
Sevastopol, Door County Consortium $75,000 -- Gibraltar Area, Sevastopol, Southern Door County, Sturgeon Bay, and Washington
Stanley-Boyd Area $12,800
Stevens Point Area Public $63,500
Stoughton Area $66,836
Sun Prairie Area $75,000
Tomorrow River $67,814
Trempeauleau Valley Consortium $75,000 -- Blair-Taylor, Independence, and Whitehall
Waukesha $74,862
Waupun $74,200
West Allis-West Milwaukee $73,590
Wheatland J1 $28,320
Wisconsin Rapids $75,000
Wrightstown Community $75,000
