Wake County Public Schools (WCPSS) has experienced a significant setback in its efforts to expand mental health services following the loss of a federal grant exceeding $14 million. This five-year grant was intended to support the growth of the School Board Mental Health Program across 106 schools, aiming to ensure that every school has a dedicated mental health counselor by the end of the 2025-2026 school year.
The grant would have funded 27 new positions, including 20 therapists tasked with providing direct counseling to students and instructional assistants to help those in acute crisis. Currently, WCPSS offers access to mental health services through in-person counseling and teletherapy, partnering with community providers to support student needs.
On April 29, WCPSS received a letter from the U.S. Department of Education notifying them that the grant would not be renewed. The Department cited concerns that the program conflicted with civil rights laws and outlined a policy favoring merit and fairness, deeming the grant an inappropriate use of federal funds.
In a related development, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) also faced funding cuts for its mental health initiatives. UNC was awarded a Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration grant in 2023, which initially provided over $389,000 for the first year with expectations of funding over five years. However, the Department of Education informed UNC that the program will be discontinued at the end of December, resulting in a loss of more than $943,000 for the final two years of the grant.
In response to the cuts, UNC stated that it is in the early stages of assessing the impact of these funding losses and will provide further information in the coming weeks. The loss of these federal grants raises concerns about the availability of mental health resources in schools, particularly as demand for such services continues to grow.
Ukrainian 
English 
French 
German 
Russian 
Spanish 
Belarusian