Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Mental Health Response topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
State funding added for regional student mental‑health rapid‑response network with SREB partnership
Summary
The subcommittee heard that amended FY25 includes $160,000 to join a regional crisis recovery network run by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) to deploy trained counselors after school shootings or natural disasters; Georgia officials said deployments are intended to put counselors on the ground, not as a telehealth service.
Steven Pruitt (SREB) and state education officials described a proposed $160,000 amended FY25 infusion to fund Georgia’s participation in a multi‑state regional crisis recovery network to provide student mental‑health stabilization after significant public safety events or natural disasters.
Department staff said the initiative will train and maintain a roster of counselors who can be deployed to affected school districts or colleges; the model emphasizes in‑person stabilization and psychological first aid rather than telehealth. A presenter said the network plans to have roughly 650 counselors across 16 states who can be deployed up to 10 days to stabilize an affected community.
Chair members voiced support for the program’s crisis‑response approach and for increased mental‑health resources for students. Committee members asked whether the training and deployments will be in person or hybrid; SREB and state staff replied the core service is putting counselors on the ground and that SREB covers deployment travel, lodging and similar expenses while state funds are primarily for training.
Ending: The amended FY25 request of $160,000 is described as one‑time training support ahead of broader FY26 funding activity for implementation.
