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Struggling beyond the classroom: Better mental health resources are coming to Arkansas schools

Better mental health resources are coming to Arkansas to help educators identify students who may be struggling beyond the classroom.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) – Better mental health resources are coming to Arkansas to help educators identify students who may be struggling beyond the classroom.

The Arkansas Department of Education received a $9 million grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The grant aims to educate teachers on warning signs of mental health problems.

"There's a lot of kids out there that are in crisis and we've got to be able to find a way to identify who those kids are,” said Dr. Cheryl May.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 40 percent of high school students in Arkansas reporter they felt sad or hopeless – the highest percentage in the nation. Over 15 percent said they at one point attempted suicide.

"This obviously shows that these kids are in crisis and that they are at risk of hurting themselves,” said Dr. May.

Dr. May is the chair of the Arkansas School Safety Commission. Gov. Asa Hutchinson appointed the commission in March to solve key problems in Arkansas’ school districts. She said mental health is one of the main focuses the board is trying to address.

"One of the things we've looked at is how to identify at risk students,” said May.

The grant the department received will help teachers identify those students by educating educators about the signs of mental health problems. The grant is for 5 years and the department will get about $1.8 million each year.

Kimberly Friedman with the Department of Education said the grant will provide training to teachers across the state. The department will also develop a statewide infrastructure of support and training for other school personnel.

"Part of that is to identify some barriers or issues students may have and in turn connecting them to services to help those students succeed,” said Friedman.

The department will receive the grant in October. It will first develop comprehensive school mental health programs in three pilot location: Texarkana School District, Marvell-Elaine School District and Ozarks Unlimited Resource Educational Service Cooperative.

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