Routt County in Colorado has received $3.6 million from the state's Department of Education School Health Professional Grant Program to provide mental health services among its school districts, Steamboat Pilot & Today reported May 14.
Funds will be dispersed over the course of the next three years. Steamboat Springs School District will receive $648,061 per year through the grant — the largest sum of any rural school district in Colorado.
The grants are meant to pay for designated mental health professionals in each school, such as social workers, counselors and psychologists. They will also cover funding for professional development, suicide prevention training and other resources to keep track of students' social, emotional and behavioral functioning.