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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

KY School Districts Focus on Improving Mental-Health Resources

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Wednesday, May 22, 2019   

FRANKFORT, Ky. – School districts in Bullitt, Henderson and Warren counties have received $9 million in federal funding to improve mental-health services for students.

Kentucky is one of only four states to get this year's Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education (AWARE) grants.

Shericka Smith, coordinator of extended school services, social work and mental-health services for Fayette County Public Schools, said her team has been able to use previous AWARE grant funds to train thousands of staff members and parents in a curriculum called "Youth Mental Health First Aid."

According to Smith, more and more students seem to be struggling with mental-health issues.

"We have seen an increase in referrals to outside agencies, referrals to our mental-health resources in the schools," she explained. "So, we have seen parents reach out more. Our student support staff has done a great job in trying to explain to parents that it is OK – it's nothing to be ashamed about if you need mental-health resources."

Kentucky's School Safety and Resiliency Act, which requires public school districts to boost mental-health resources and utilize School Resource Officers, goes into effect on July 1.

Smith listed anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts as the most commonly diagnosed mental-health conditions among youths. She also pointed out that social-media use is contributing to the rise in mental-health crises in schools across the country.

"I do think that a lot of kids are moving toward social media for acceptance, and if they don't get that, it may increase depression and suicidal thoughts and anxiety," Smith said. "There's a lot of cyber bullying. Parents need to certainly monitor that."

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for Kentucky's youth and young adults and, in 2017, 15 percent of Kentucky high school students reported having seriously considered suicide within a 12-month period, according to the Kentucky Department of Education.



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