Children in 76 school districts throughout Michigan will benefit from nearly $20.5 million in grants from the Michigan Department of Education. That funding will be put towards mental health, safety, and inclusion services.
In West Michigan alone, Godfrey-Lee Public School System is receiving over $20,000, Kenowa Hills over $75,000, and Muskegon Area Intermediate School District nearly $5,000,000.
Teresa Woods is Executive Director and Superintendent of Lighthouse Connections Academy, which is receiving over $57,000. She says a lack of access to mental health providers is what’s leading to a mental health crisis among students.
“Even if you have the funding and open positions for social workers, it’s really difficult to gather one of those individuals for your district.”
According to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from 2021 to 2023, the portion of high school students who reported feelings of persistent sadness and hopelessness only declined from 42% to 40%. Much of these feelings are due to the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting school activities and feelings of increased isolation. But Woods says, there’s an upside.
“One of the gifts that COVID-19 gave us is that it did open the door even ever-so-slightly to people talking about and acknowledging the crises that happen in families.”
Woods says their school will be using their funding to hire one or two social workers.
