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Last updated on Thursday, September 13, 2018
(INDIANAPOLIS) - The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) announced today the state is the recipient of a $9 million grant to address mental and emotional health within Indiana schools. IDOE has been awarded the Project Advancing Wellness and Resilience Education (AWARE) grant through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
"Social and emotional health supports are key to better understanding and meeting our students' needs," said Dr. Jennifer McCormick, Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction. "Through Project AWARE, Indiana will create lasting partnerships in these important areas. We will also develop effective practices which will enhance our schools' mental health efforts."
The goal of Project AWARE is to increase awareness of mental and emotional health concerns and to improve connections to services for students by developing and expanding school-based mental health teams. Through the SAMHSA sponsored grant, states were asked to select three districts to work in conjunction with state education agencies to achieve the mission of Project AWARE. In partnership with selected districts, IDOE will work to create models of effective mental health practices for replication across Indiana. In partnership with IDOE and the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addictions (DMHA), school corporations will collaborate with local mental health agencies to establish a community approach to supporting the whole child.
The $9 million Project AWARE funds will be awarded over the next five years. Indiana's districts were selected through a Request of Interest process and represent Indiana's landscape - rural, suburban, and urban. IDOE and DHMA will assist the selected districts to create sustainable model sites able to train all Indiana schools while working to build and provide professional development and technical assistance resources to districts across the state.
Selected districts and their community health center include:
For more information regarding Indiana addressing mental health within schools, please visit: www.doe.in.gov/student-services/idoe-mental-health-systems-care.
To learn more about Project AWARE, please visit: www.samhsa.gov/nitt-ta/project-aware-grant-information.
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