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State funds for mental health available for school districts and charters in western NC

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Mebane Rash/EdNC

As of Dec. 30, 2024, only $18,969 of $5 million appropriated for mental health by the legislature had been drawn down by charter schools and school districts impacted by Hurricane Helene, according to a draft report to the N.C. General Assembly.

The report, which was on the State Board of Education’s February meeting agenda, shows that of 26 charter schools and 30 school districts eligible for the funding, only Madison County Schools and Yancey County Schools have received any of the appropriations.

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The Disaster Recovery Act of 2024, Part II (SL 2024-53 § 4A.8.) provided $5 million to Hurricane Helene-impacted school districts for mental health support to assist students, staff, and families with the recovery process, trauma care, and reintegration into academic life, according to the Board’s agenda.

The data in the report was current as of Dec. 30, 2024. The report is due March 15, 2025.

The state statute authorizes the funding to be used for:

  1. Contracting with community partners to provide or pay for mental health services.
  2. Hiring or contracting for the services of school health personnel, as defined in G.S. 115C-316.2.
  3. Hiring or contracting for the services of licensed mental health professionals not currently employed by a public school unit or identified in G.S. 115C-316.2.

An FAQ on Hurricane Helene Funding from the N.C. Department of Public Instruction (DPI) dated Dec. 4, 2024, says funds “may be used for any services, including assessment, diagnosis, treatment, or counseling, offered in an individual, family, or group setting for the maintenance or enhancement of mental health or the treatment of mental or substance use disorders.”

In the draft report, you can see the allotment available for each charter school and school district:

According to DPI’s FAQ, the allotments include an initial amount of $30,000 and then the remaining funds are based on allotted average daily membership (ADM).

The funding is available to the charter schools and school districts through PRC 230. PRC stands for program report codes, an accounting term used to categorize expenditures by program to track costs. The memo says the funds remain available through June 30, 2030.