A year after the laws passage, over one hundred new mental health professionals could be trained for South Dakota’s needs thanks to funding provided by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
South Dakota is expected to hire 114 new mental health experts for schools across the state thanks to the BSCA
Katy Neas is the deputy assistant secretary of special education in the US Department of Education. She said in a recent webinar they have focused heavily on mental well-being since the law’s passage.
“The department has been very active in this space for quite some time," Neas said. "We have a lot going on at the department, we know you’re all doing great things in the field to help our students get the services and supports they need so they can be academically and physically and mentally healthy and ready for their futures.”
Neas said on one hand, this is about improving access to resources for everyone in the room.
“Not just for students but also for the adults in the building, because if our faculty, our teachers, our principals are not well its hard for them to be their best for our students," Neas said. "We’re also working very closely with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on ways to make it easier for schools to pay for these essential services.”
On the other hand is a focus on increasing the depth of the pool of potential hires.
“The department has really focused on two primary areas in addressing the mental health crisis," Neas said. "One is to increase the capacity of those existing folks in schools now working with students, and also to increase the supply of mental health professionals. In order for kids to receive services, they need to have somebody qualified.”
In total, $1 billion has been provided by this law to improve mental health opportunities in schools across the nation.