Where’s the Money for Black Student Mental Health?
This post was originally published on Word in Black
By:
Last month, when New York announced the state would spend more than $5 million on public school-based mental health clinics, it joined the growing ranks of states setting aside money for students’ psychological well-being.
Earlier in January, for example, the federal health agency that oversees Medicare and Medicaid said it had set aside $50 million in grants for in-school counselors and therapists. In October, Maryland announced it has budgeted $120 million for mental health programs on grade-school campuses.
Yet community activists and therapists who work with Black children say the million-dollar budget allocations, while helpful and attention-grabbing, aren’t nearly enough.