19 kids died, but just 12 school districts in the Carolinas have received safety grants approved in the aftermath of Uvalde
In the wake of the deadly Uvalde school shooting, lawmakers dedicated $1 billion to help prevent future violence. Few districts in the Carolinas have received money.
Born in the aftermath of a school shooting that left 19 kids and two teachers dead, Congress dedicated almost $1 billion to help prevent future violence and improve student mental health, but a WCNC Charlotte investigation found just a dozen school districts in the Carolinas have actually received money.
A year-and-a-half after lawmakers funded the new program, $40 million worth of school safety grants in the Carolinas sits unused. Blame it on bureaucracy, timing, a lack of awareness or school systems just not having grant writers on staff, but the end result is all the same: students in the most at-risk school districts in North Carolina and South Carolina are unnecessarily losing out on critical support.
'It's going to be life-changing'
York School District 1, the school system with the highest poverty rate in York County, is one of the exceptions.
Thanks to a more than $350,000 Stronger Connections Grant, every school in the district will soon have its own mental health therapist.
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"When I was called and told about (the grant), I did a dance. I was so excited about it, because for a lot of kids, it's going to be life-changing," York School District 1 Director of Student Services Chad Carper said. "You just can't replace that human being and that interaction."
After moving away from contracted therapy services, the district hired its own therapists, but didn't have enough funding to dedicate a therapist to each school. That lack of resources limited the number of students the school system could help.
Mental health therapist Belinda Ezell knows what it's like trying to help kids at two schools. The district stopped splitting her time at the beginning of this school year and dedicated her full-time to Hickory Grove-Sharon Elementary School.
Ezell said that decision has made all the difference. She regularly helps 30 of the school's highest risk students and their families.
"My mission is to help these children who are struggling so much. I can see them developing skills and learning from me and they're using them in their daily life," she said. "Sometimes I just think, 'I'm not sure how some of these students survive their life.'"
Limited participation, widespread delays
Many of the same mental health challenges her students face, others deal with in districts across the state and country, but York School District 1 is one of only a dozen districts in South Carolina that secured Stronger Connections grants.
To qualify. districts had to have a high percentage of students living in poverty and either a high rate of bullying/harassment, a high rate of chronic absenteeism or a high rate of exclusionary discipline. Only 16 school systems turned in applications, which is less than 25% of eligible school systems in South Carolina.
Despite the state Department of Education sending out a memo and hosting a training session this past summer, more than $11 million is still available, but unused.
"If teachers and students don't feel safe, nothing else matters," South Carolina Department of Education Spokesperson Jason Raven said. "There is no intention to send this money back and we are exploring different ways to make sure this money is allocated."
In North Carolina, bureaucracy and communication problems have delayed the Department of Public Instruction's original goal of awarding its money in 2023. Only about half of North Carolina's eligible districts applied, according to DPI. The state has yet to score those 41 applications, which means all $29 million North Carolina received is currently unspent.
"The NCSCG applications have been collected, however we are awaiting approval from GovOps and (the Office of State Budget and Management) in order to build our budget, which will then allow us to contract with UNCG SERVE to score the applications," DPI spokesperson Corrie Byrd said. "Once the applications are scored, the proposed recipients will be taken before the State Board for approval. Once approved, the subgrants will be awarded...At this time we are in a waiting game."
Just before signing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act in June 2022, which included this funding, President Joe Biden said, "Time is of the essence." The congressional action came in the wake of the deadly massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
Vice President Kamala Harris will visit Charlotte Thursday to discuss efforts to reduce gun violence and announce BSCA funding that can be used for schools to increase mental health resources. The White House has not yet confirmed with WCNC Charlotte if that funding is tied to the Stronger Connections grant program.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R), NC, helped write and pass the BSCA. While states and school districts have until 2026 to use Stronger Connections grants, his office acknowledged "low utilization and lack of awareness of these grants continue to present challenges for all states, including North Carolina." Some of the delays are blamed on states having to create an application process for this new program, determine eligibility criteria and then allocate money.
According to Sen. Tillis' office, he and his staff continue to monitor implementation "closely."
"Senator Tillis has and will continue to hold roundtables across North Carolina with state, local, and community leaders to ensure those individuals and entities are actively aware of and applying for all federal funding opportunities, including the Stronger Connections Grant program," his office said.
Actor Matthew McConaughey takes action
Sen. Tillis is a co-chair of the Greenlights Grant Initiative's Advisory Council, created by Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camila. Uvalde is McConaughey's hometown. In an effort to make those "kids' lives matter," he and his wife created the Greenlights Grant Initiative as a solution to this problem.
Their goal is to help school districts apply for safety and mental health grants. The organization will notify districts when grants become available, offer training to simplify the application process and provide grant writers where needed.
"We launched the Greenlights Grant Initiative as a way to build a new bridge between school districts and the federal government to make it easier for federal school safety funds to get to the districts who need them most," McConaughey said in a statement to WCNC Charlotte. "Thousands of school administrators have raised their hands for help. We're working to help as many as possible so more students can learn in peace and thrive. We're excited about the progress we've made and are looking forward to keeping the momentum up in 2024 as more grant opportunities become available."
In its first six months of existence, the Greenlights Grant Initiative has already heard from 19,000 school administrators in every state hoping for short-term help, trained more than 1,300 administrators and cultivated a network of 200 grant writers.
Grant writers make a difference
York School District 1 knows a grant writer can make all the difference. Since the district's economy limits funding, the school system has a grant writer on staff.
"We're always out there looking for resources to address the needs that we see in our kids," Coordinator of Special Projects Lisa Spangler said. "Any grant that we get is a win for our students."
Spangler applies for about a dozen grants every year and her efforts continue to pay off. While York School District 1 is using the first year of Stronger Conncetions funding to hire two therapists, she's hopeful the school system will eventually receive a second round of money.
"When we submit a grant, it's either a woohoo or a boohoo," Spangler said. "We don't want to be the boohoo. We don't want to cry that we didn't get it. We want a good plan in there that will allow us to celebrate a win for our students."
Spangler said she was "very much surprised" to learn so few districts applied for the grant.
A safe and stable school
As another school day ends at Hickory Grove-Sharon Elementary, Belinda Ezell can only hope the tools she shares with her students will help get them through the night. She has since learned, for some, the elementary school is the most stable and supportive environment in those children's lives.
"I have had, believe it or not, second-grade students who've told me that they've thought about hurting and doing things to themselves and it keeps me up thinking I'm going to miss something," Ezell said. "The first time a child told me that, I thought, 'This child is serious. He has seriously thought about stabbing himself' and it made me want to cry and I do cry."
Tears are inevitable, even with 30 minutes of mental health therapy for several dozen kids every week, but she knows helping meet struggling kids where they are works. It helps them feel better about themselves, safer and more prepared for success in and out of the classroom.
"I do see improvement. I can see them developing skills and learning from me and they're using them in their daily life," she said. "I do what I can do while I have them."
Contact Nate Morabito at nmorabito@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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