Muscogee County wins federal school-based mental health grant; plans 11 on-site social workers and telehealth services

Dr. Traquilla Nelson, director of counseling and social work services, announced the district has been awarded a five-year school-based mental health grant from the U.S. Department of Education and outlined plans to expand mental health services in schools.

“We will have the opportunity to hire 11 school based social workers,” Nelson said, describing an effort to shift from large-scale behavioral interventions to individualized, trauma-informed clinical support embedded at schools.

Nelson said the first-year award amount is $1,997,687; subsequent years include additional supplements that the district estimates will bring later-year annual amounts to about $2,101,139 as federal supplements are applied. The grant will fund school-based social workers who will be housed at specific schools (the district’s existing social-worker-to-student ratio is roughly 1:3,000) and provide individual and small-group counseling, crisis response, community referrals and staff professional development.

The grant package includes funding for telehealth on a HIPAA-compliant platform (to be used when needed), trauma-informed curriculum and training, an online SEL curriculum from This Works Incorporated, and summer or evening sessions for students with parental permission. Nelson said the award seeks to increase access for underinsured or uninsured students and build capacity so care can continue as students move from elementary through middle and high school.

District staff described existing layered supports funded through other federal grants: a STOP the Violence training grant (award year 2023–26, vendor This Works with $3,333,000 authorized across vendors) and ESSER- and Title-funded behavioral and prevention programs that have provided student and parent sessions, staff training and two-week bridge programs. Chris Dryman, director of federal programs, summarized FY24 expenditures across grants and noted that federal funding is shifting and that some ESSER-funded activities are being phased down.

Board members asked how effectiveness will be measured; staff said they will report metrics including repeat offenses, suspension rates and attendance changes tied to the funded sessions. Trustees also sought clarity on sustainability once ESSER funds are exhausted; staff said the current grant includes capacity-building components intended to leave trained, credentialed staff and in-district trainers who can continue some services after one-time federal funds decline.

No formal board vote was recorded during the presentation; staff said additional budget/budget-approval items tied to vendor engagements would return to the board for action.