Montana gets $12.5M in public school grants

KRTV

Through two large grants, Montana has received federal funding to improve school climate and mental health for the state’s students over the next five years. Through the School Climate Transformation grant, the existing Montana Behavioral Initiative (MBI) will be expanded to more schools, especially those with high needs and those on Native American land. A new group of MBI coaches will be placed in school districts to help with implementation, and more schools will make use of student school climate surveys. The second grant, Project AWARE, will support the coordination of mental health services for youth and families, and will train many personnel throughout the state’s school systems in Youth Mental Health First Aid. Other programs the state will implement or expand using the Project AWARE funding include Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) and Question, Persuade and Refer (QPR) training.  Much of the grant will be administered by school districts working with local provider coalitions and crisis centers.

Spark Extra!The ASIST and QPR trainings are both listed in SPRC’s Best Practices Registry, a catalogue of suicide prevention programs that have been rigorously reviewed by experts in the field.