Area School Districts Receive Mental Health Grants

(Beaver Dam) Two Dodge County school districts have been awarded grants to help expand mental health services. Sixty-four school districts and consortiums are sharing a $3.25-million dollar in state grant. Both Beaver Dam and Waupun will receive just over $74-thousand dollars. The funds can be used to increase mental health training, develop and support the emotional wellness of students and staff, offer trauma sensitive environments, create student support groups as well as provide guidance and access to mental health providers. State Superintendent Tony Evers says the grant is a good start toward student mental health issues but he adds that more is needed to be done in order to address the problems kids are facing. During the grant period, recipients will collect data on how many students utilize mental health services and at the end develop an annual report highlighting addressed goals and outcomes.