For Immediate Release: October 28, 2020

State Superintendent Announces Federal

School Mental Health Grant
Funds Support Training for School-Based Mental Health Professionals
RICHMOND — Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane announced today that the Virginia
Department of Education has received a five-year, $6 million federal grant to increase the number
of qualified mental health service providers in high-need school divisions.
 
The funds — awarded under the U.S. Department of Education’s School-Based Mental Health
Services Grant Program — will support the development by VDOE and Old Dominion University of
a recruitment and professional development program to increase the number of mental health
service providers in the following six school divisions:
 Danville Public Schools
 Henry County Public Schools
 Petersburg Public Schools
 Pittsylvania County Public Schools
 Suffolk Public Schools
 Washington County Public Schools
 
The school divisions were selected based on the criteria of the grant program, which supports state
efforts to increase the number of mental health service providers in schools serving communities
with demonstrated needs.

“School-based mental health services play a critical role in supporting learning and creating
environments where students feel safe and have a place to turn for services they might not
otherwise receive. This is especially true in schools where a significant number of children
experience trauma in their homes or community,” Lane said. “This grant will allow the
commonwealth to build on the progress already made in expanding the pipeline of qualified mental
health professionals, and ensure that they receive the training and resources they need to serve
students successfully.”

Virginia’s application includes the development of a web-based platform to support the recruitment
and retention of school-based mental health service providers and expand the pool of qualified
applicants.

The platform will provide a single point of access to support recruitment and retention, including
access to high-quality professional development; information on licensure,
recertification, respecialization and credential reciprocity; telemental health resources; and
information on hiring incentives in the participating school divisions.

VDOE and ODU will also develop staff education and training materials for the participating
divisions, with the potential of providing support to additional divisions during the five-year grant
period.
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