(Harlan, Ky.) – The Harlan Independent School District will be adding another resource to their toolbox in the fight to help students and families recover from the impact of the coronavirus. Tapping grant funds from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund, Harlan FRYSC will receive $100,000 to implement additional mental health counseling services across the district.
Grant funds were a part of $15,000,000 awarded to 150 Family Resource Youth Service Centers (FRYSC) who were selected based on grant applications. The grants will fund educational support services needed due to COVID-19’s impact on schools, youth and families. The targeted grants have a special focus on early childhood education and child care, as well as family crisis and mental health counseling.
Harlan FRYSC Coordinator, Cecilia Adams was pleased the Harlan FRYSC was selected as a recipient for the funds and noted the importance of having high quality resources available to families. Adams stated, “While we pride ourselves on working with our families to get them access to the help they need, the pandemic has resulted in obstacles we are not properly equipped to handle. Adding a full time school based mental health professional to our staff gives us a better chance of helping students and families recover well in the days and years to come.”
Superintendent C.D. Morton emphasized that recovery will take time and will require qualified professional support to help families navigate a healthy pathway to success. Noting that all schools currently have full time guidance counselors, Morton felt that adding a mental health counselor will allow targeted support for some of the most vulnerable students. “Every school in Kentucky has a handful of families that need a higher level of support than what is normally available to them, adding a School Based Mental Health professional who can collaborate and focus on supporting these families will result in more success for the student. We want to utilize every resource possible to assist our families and students in their recovery as quickly as possible.”
“Congratulations to the FRYSCs that have been selected for the second round of GEER II funding,” said Lt. Gov. Coleman, who was also the secretary of the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet at the time of the grant award. “As an educator and former school administrator, I have witnessed how much our FRYSCs mean to our schools and students. They stand in the gap for the most vulnerable students and connect schools to the home and community, so they are the best conduit for these grants.”
More than 850 FRYSCs provide services to Kentucky children, youth and families in approximately 1,200 schools.
To view information on the grant recipients, follow this link: https://bit.ly/3nMVwOh
Interested candidates may obtain an application by clicking on the following link: https://bit.ly/JobsatHISD