Hillside superintendent says student vaping, mental-health needs rising after $500,000 grant cut

Superintendent David Glover told the Hillside Public School District Board of Education on May 29 that the district is seeing increasing student vaping, substance use and signs of depression, and that a multi-year federal grant that funded clinicians and screening tools was recently reduced by about $500,000.

Glover said the district received a $1.25 million grant over five years but was notified in early May of a federal change that will trim roughly half a million dollars from that award. “We were notified that we were gonna be losing about a half million dollars as the grant would be concluding,” Glover said. He added the grant had funded additional clinicians, social workers, partnerships with three outside organizations to streamline family access to care, and a district depression screener used for early identification.

The superintendent said the district will try to keep its clinicians and social workers in place and seek other grant opportunities, but acknowledged uncertainty about how the district will replace the lost funding. “I don't know how we're gonna make up a half million dollars,” he said, but added the district had not recommended reducing staff. He said the district will apply for additional grants and continue conversations with legislators and national organizations to prioritize supports.

Glover also described a local and national pattern of rising vaping and flavored nicotine use among young people, linking the trend to increases in anxiety and depression he said staff are witnessing in schools. “This is an epidemic happening where many of our students are addicted…We have elementary school students bringing drugs in the schools and hiding it,” he said. He called for increasing penalties on local retailers who sell to minors and for expanded mental-health supports.

Glover pointed board members to Mental Health First Aid as a resource for families and noted the district has used the grant to expand immediate access to services and screening tools. He described plans to continue public communication about resources and to seek alternative funding to retain clinicians.

The superintendent’s remarks came as part of a broader superintendent’s report that also highlighted student achievements and district programming. Board members said they would continue conversations with school and district leaders about how many students and families the change will affect and explore next steps.

Glover closed the segment by urging families and staff to bring concerns forward and by saying the district will continue to prioritize student supports amid the funding change.