The Sheboygan Area School District will be better-positioned to serve the mental health needs of students after receiving a substantial grant. The money comes from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act which was established by congress and signed into law in 2022, and the Stronger Connections Grant it funds supports the Wisconsin Department of Education and eligible Local Education Agencies to support safe and healthy students under Title-IV.
The Sheboygan Area District applied for the grant after the demand for in-school mental health therapy grew over the past several years, with 125 students now on a waiting list for the program that can currently serve only 200.
The SASD was granted the maximum amount of $400,000 from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. That will fund an expansion of the PATH program through the hiring of a part-time therapist who will provide parent and family therapy; enable the Sheboygan Falls-based Production Farm to provide three levels of services to Sheboygan Area District students, and will also go towards implementing the “Sources of Strength” program aimed at suicide prevention for grades 6-12.
The Director of Special Education and Pupil Services, Jason Ledermann, said that while specifically aimed at the roughly 300 students having significant difficulty regulating their emotions and behaviors, the Sources of Strength program will benefit the entire student body. The program uses peer social networks to build resiliency and increases students’ sense of belonging to prevent suicide, violence, and bullying.
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