GOSA partners with SREB on $160,000 regional crisis recovery network for student mental health

Director Hawkins of the Governor's Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) told the committee the agency requests a $160,000 infusion in the amended FY25 budget to participate in a regional crisis recovery network led by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB).

"The only change for the amended budget is an infusion of a 160,000. And that's for a regional crisis recovery network in partnership with SREB," Hawkins said, describing the network as a multi-state effort to provide student mental-health support after shootings, disasters or other significant events.

Steven Pruitt, identified as president of SREB, and a presenter named Mike described how the network will operate. Mike told the committee the program emphasizes in-person stabilization and psychological first aid rather than telehealth: "This is really stabilization in psychological first aid. So when there is a significant event such as a natural disaster or a school shooting, the goal is to have 650 counselors across our 16 states that then could be deployed for up to 10 days at a time to provide that stabilization for that school district or that college." SREB will cover deployment travel, room and board, the presentation said; the FY25 funding is for training.

Committee members praised the initiative and asked about modalities and likely first deployments; SREB representatives said early deployment could respond to recent hurricane impacts in western North Carolina and elsewhere.

Ending: GOSA said the $160,000 is for FY25 training costs and that further implementation and expansion will be discussed in the FY26 budget cycle.