Dive Brief:

• The U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday announced $71.6 million in federal funding to improve school safety and student access to mental health resources, according to a press release.

• Announced by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, the funds will be available through four grant programs:

  1. The Trauma Recovery Demonstration Grant Program, which will give more than $6.7 million to Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Louisiana and Nevada

  2. The Mental Health Demonstration Grant Program, which will provide $11 million to 27 state education agencies and school districts to address shortages of mental health professionals in high-needs schools

  3. Project Prevent, which will provide $11.3 million to 15 school districts to better assist schools in areas with high levels of violence

  4. The School Climate Transformation Grant Program, which will give $42.4 million to 69 school districts to improve school climate

• DeVos said the grants are designed to allow local leaders to customize safety and mental health improvement approaches to their unique local needs.

Dive Insight:

These grants reflect the shift to prevent violence in schools through proactive means like improved mental health services and school climate, rather than hardening schools. Last year, the federal School Safety Commission urged states to take action to physically protect schools, such as removing firearms from at-risk individuals, as well as make it easier for law enforcement and schools to better communicate about potential threats.

Armed school personnel and more metal detectors were among measures discussed at the time, but civil rights advocates countered such measures would only strengthen the school-to-prison pipeline — especially for students of color.

In an effort to thwart potential acts of violence, some districts have already begun training teachers to act as first responders in a mental health crisis. In Virginia’s Fauquier County Public Schools, for example, about 400 educators and 1,000 community members completed a mental health first-aid course funded by grants. Additionally, to combat one of the highest suicide rates in the nation, Jefferson High School in Montana is piloting a similar program funded by the National Council for Behavioral Health and Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation.

Many states are also trying to lower their counselor-to-student ratios. In Arizona, Gov. Doug Ducey signed a 2020 budget that includes $60 million for grants to hire more school counselors and school resource officers. And in Arkansas, Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed the School Counseling Improvement Act requiring schools to have a comprehensive counseling program and to reduce counselors’ administrative workload.