Noblesville schools project aware grant application - noblesville schools seeks funding through the project aware grant to address the need for school-based mental health awareness, intervention,…

Noblesville schools project aware grant application - noblesville schools seeks funding through the project aware grant to address the need for school-based mental health awareness, intervention, and support for all students with the goal of establishing a multi-tiered, comprehensive mental health program which encompasses a suicide prevention program and a comprehensive school counseling and mental health plan. The comprehensive mental health program will be preventative, data driven, developmental, and collaborative for all 10,900 students across grades PK-12. A comprehensive mental health program has been a growing need for noblesville schools as we have seen a 22% increase in the number of students experiencing suicide ideation and the number of suicide screeners our school mental health staff have been administering. Additionally, the 2021 YRB survey by the indiana department of health indicated that 27% of indiana students considered suicide in the previous year and 22% had a plan to DIE by suicide. The data is showing a growing need for mental health education, mental health intervention, and mental health support in schools. Noblesville schools' diversity continues to expand through ethnicities, languages, socio-economic status, and so much more. The students in noblesville schools represent 53 spoken languages. Noblesville schools also has more than 22% of its students eligible for the national school lunch program, 152 students experiencing homelessness, and approximately 70 students in the foster care system. These statistics make noblesville schools stand out in hamilton county. Noblesville schools has been utilizing an annual needs assessment tool. Within the tool, the district has been measuring student's sense of belonging and emotion regulation. When compared nationally, noblesville schools' students are 10% lower in sense of belonging and 30% lower in emotion regulation. The needs assessment has been given for four school years, and these gaps have not lessened. This indicates that noblesville schools' tier 1 mental health, social, and emotional supports are lacking. The data also indicates that the following populations have continuously scored lower than their peers: students receiving free or reduced lunch, students in special education, and students of racial and ethnic minorities, especially hispanic. With the project aware grant, noblesville schools will create a sustainable and accessible comprehensive school counseling and mental health program, including a suicide prevention education program, to meet the need of our ever-changing student population. Students' sense of belonging and emotional regulation will be increased by focusing on establishing a learning centered and collaborative culture by integrating restorative practices, trauma-informed care, cultural competency and equitable practices. Students' mental health literacy and access to supports and resources will be increased by implementing social emotional learning curriculum, suicide prevention education, and through improved data collection and referral processes for the school counselors and school social workers. Staff's mental health literacy will be increased by implementing staff training and offering mindfulness and stress management programming.