Nine Maine school districts will be adding more student mental health supports through a $9 million federal grant.
The Maine Department of Education says that the funding will go to districts from Lewiston to Skowhegan and Eastport, which were found to have fewer mental health staffers than the rest of the state.
The new grants, spread out over five years, are intended to help the schools work together with local and state agencies to boost the number of mental health providers within their classrooms.
A recent report found that mental health continues to be a growing crisis for Maine students, and nearly half of the state's female high schoolers reported feeling sad or hopeless in 2021.
