Board hears details of two‑year student mental‑health grant to fund navigators and restorative practices

District administrators briefed the board on a newly awarded two‑year grant intended to expand social‑emotional supports and lower risk factors for middle and high school students.

An administrator said the grant will run Feb. 1 through Sept. 30, 2026, and be distributed over two years; the presenter described three SMART goals focused on reducing dropout or at‑risk indicators, increasing students’ access to emotional supports and reducing significant anxiety among middle‑ and high‑school students. The grant’s budget narrative, as presented, will help fund the district’s student engagement facilitator (named in the meeting as John Tenman), support restorative‑practices work districtwide, hire a part‑time mental‑health navigator and provide mental‑health services in school buildings.

Meeting audio contains inconsistent numeric phrasing about the grant amount; the presenters described the award as a ‘‘significant grant’’ and used the phrase "in excess of $300,000" in discussion. Because the transcript contains unclear numeric references to a $2.95 figure, this article reports the grant amount only as described in the meeting ("in excess of $300,000").

Administrators said grant activities include implementing restorative practices and increasing student access to timely emotional‑health support; they indicated there may be opportunity to extend the funding beyond the two‑year term. The board did not take formal action on the grant during the public portion of the meeting.