Update regarding status of school-based mental health federal grant

UPDATED May 2, 2025

The Wake County Public School System remains committed to supporting the well-being and success of every student. While we continuously seek innovative and research-backed solutions to serve our school communities, recent developments at the federal level have impacted our ability to move forward with one such initiative.

On April 29, we received official notice from the U.S. Department of Education that our federal School-Based Mental Health Grant (Award #S184H240237) will not be continued past its current budget period. This decision terminates the grant, which would have allowed the district to expand the current School Based Mental Health Program that is currently in 106 schools.  

Parents, educators, mental health professionals, and policymakers all recognize that supporting the mental health needs of our students has never been more important. This initiative would have expanded  access to mental health services to help more students thrive in the classroom and set them on a path to productive citizenship.

To date, the work under this grant has focused on internal planning and preparation—laying the foundation for a strong and sustainable school-based mental health program. Staffing and resources were in the process of hiring and procurement, with roles identified and service rollout scheduled to begin this month. 

We are actively reviewing our options provided under federal regulations. We will continue to prioritize the mental health and wellness of our students and staff and explore alternative funding opportunities to pursue this critical work.

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Oct. 23, 2024

The Wake County Public School System was awarded a five-year, $14.1 million federal grant to support school-based mental health services.

WCPSS was one of 23 grant winners and the only awardee from North Carolina.

The U.S. Department of Education grant will fund a total of 27 new positions over the next five years to expand and enhance our existing school-based mental health program.

“Supporting student mental health is essential to our mission of helping every child reach their full potential,” says Michele Woodson, the WCPSS assistant superintendent for Student Support Services. “This grant will allow us to build on our ongoing efforts to make sure all students have ready access to counseling and other services that will help them thrive inside and outside of the classroom.”

Approximately 61 schools are currently offering mental health services, both in-person counseling and teletherapy, through contracts with approved community providers. 

Our goal is to have a mental health provider available in every WCPSS school by the end of the 2025-26 school year.

The grant will allow our district to hire the following personnel:

• 20 therapists to provide direct services to students;
• Three instructional assistants to support students anywhere in the district who are experiencing acute mental health crises; 
• Two school social worker positions to support operations of the expanded school-based mental health program;
• One clinical supervisor to oversee therapists and clinical programs;
• One program manager for all mental health services.

The grant also will fund increased training in clinical mental health services for currently licensed staff and those pursuing clinical licensure, as well as a records management system to track all services related to the grant.

The grant requires our district to develop a plan to sustain these services beyond the five-year grant period.