State officials have awarded $5.6 million in grants to hire more than 160 social workers and mental health professionals in Nevada schools.
The awards are part of a broad anti-bullying initiative coordinated by Nevada's new Office for a Safe and Respectful Learning Environment.
Eleven districts and six charter schools received funding. Students were recently surveyed on the health of their school climate, and awards were based in part on which schools needed the most intervention.
The anti-bullying office director Eddie Ableser says investing in the social and emotional health of students will pay big dividends in their academic performance.
“Based on the hierarchy of needs for the child, it does us no good in educating a mind if that mind is fearful of its life, fearful of its social and emotional life, and doesn’t have the resources, whether it’s food, sleep, or physical safety to actually learn.”
Lawmakers voted last spring to authorize major anti-bullying initiatives proposed by Governor Brian Sandoval and aimed at preventing trauma and suicide.
