In rural upstate New York, the lack of mental health providers in schools is alarming, with over 1,100 students for every counselor. Recent funding cuts by the Trump administration threaten grant-supported hiring of school mental health professionals. Hennessey Lustica, involved in training efforts for counselors and psychologists in the Finger Lakes region, warns that cutting these grants will severely affect the mental health support available to students, particularly in underserved areas. The initial funding was part of a response to gun violence, aimed at addressing school safety and mental health needs.
Cutting this funding is just going to devastate kids, said Lustica, project director of the Wellness Workforce Collaborative in the Seneca Falls Central School District.
The workforce that we're developing, just in my 21 school districts it's over 20,000 kids that are going to be impacted by this and not have the mental health support that they need.
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