LOUISVILLE, Ky — School districts in south-central Kentucky will receive $6 million from the federal government to expand mental health services for students. 

What You Need To Know

  •  $6 million from the U.S. Department of Education is going to some Kentucky school districts

  •  It will help bolster student mental health resources in areas deemed to have the highest need

  •  The money will also help bring in college students to work in those districts with the hopes they'll stay after graduation

  • This federal grant will increase access to school-based mental health services to over 16,200 students in that region.

School districts that are part of the Southeast South-Central Educational Cooperative will get that money over a five-year period. 

Jennifer Mattingly, Food Service Director & Program Specialist for Rockcastle County Schools, said, this money will be put to good use. 

“Specifically here in southeast Kentucky, in South Central Kentucky, in small rural districts, we just don't have the manpower we don't have the access that we need to get to our students to get them the help that they need as quickly as we can,” Mattingly said. “So this will provide us with additional resources, additional training, and staff to help those students.”

This funding will also go toward recruiting students enrolled in Kentucky colleges and universities to work and train in districts that have some of the lowest student to counselor ratios in the state. 

One goal of this program is that those college students end up staying and working in south-central Kentucky after the federal dollars run out. 

“We just can't grab something off the internet. Or try something that we've seen works. We need good research-based practices that we know work with students and this grant will allow that to happen for our district and for other districts in our co-op,” Mattingly said.

Mattingly, who has been in education for more than 30 years, adds students struggling with mental health come from all walks of life. It’s a national issue that stems from any number of causes. 

“I firmly believe that if a student is dealing with something emotionally or within their mental health, then they are not going to be able to focus on learning that it's going to be more difficult for them to learn”

Through this new program, thousands of students will have access to long-term, high-quality resources as they navigate their education and life. 

The Southeast South-Central Educational Cooperative supports 26 public school districts in Kentucky. This federal grant will increase access to school-based mental health services to over 16,200 students in that region. 

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