Kalispell Public Schools, along with along with Butte and Browning school districts, will share $1.275 million of an $8.5 million Project AWARE grant awarded to the state Office of Public Instruction to improve school culture and address mental health needs of children, families and caregivers.

The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded the grant.

A key objective of the Project AWARE grant is to promote a positive school climate and violence prevention — including bullying and electronic bullying — through the Montana Behavioral Initiative. The grant also aims to curb suicide attempts, increase understanding about mental health issues and improve access to screening, counseling and treatment.

Kalispell Public Schools Federal Projects Director Chris Bilant said in the first year, roughly 125 educators will be trained in Mental Health First Aid to help students in crisis. Grant money also will be used to hire a program coordinator to facilitate the training and partner with community agencies.

“We just got notification about the grant last week and have not contacted any other school districts, but our vision is to make it available for other partner school districts,” Bilant said.

Kalispell Public Schools currently have mental health teams based at all school sites through a partnership with Kalispell Regional Medical Center, but Bilant said the services are targeted for students from families who are eligible for Medicaid.

“What we want to do with this grant is work with KRMC to expand those teams to support children who are non-Medicaid-eligible,” Bilant said.

Poverty rates were taken into consideration in the application process, using the percentage of students eligible for free and reduced meals. Kalispell Public Schools reported that 46 percent of its student population (5,778 students) were eligible for free and reduced lunches. The district also reported Kalispell as “highly mobile” community with an estimated transient rate of 30 percent.

“Sometimes high rates of poverty and homelessness can lead to stressors on families and can result in a variety of mental health needs,” Bilant said.

Statewide, the grant will address mental health needs by integrating services of 13 state agencies, three Safe Schools/Healthy Students grantees, and three high-need school districts and their partners. Additionally, the Office of Public Instruction will train nine state-level Youth Mental Health First Aid trainers, 45 school district trainers and 75 regional trainers. Trainers will then instruct an estimated 5,000 adults in Youth Mental Health First Aid.

“Suicide prevention and access to mental health care must continue to be a priority for those of us who work with young people,” Office of Public Instruction Superintendent Denise Juneau said in a press release. “This grant will help bring schools, public programs and communities together and also provide best practices that we can share with other school districts. By making sure a child’s mental and emotional needs are addressed, this effort can change life outcomes for students and families.”

The Office of Public Instruction also was awarded a $3.75 million School Climate Transformation grant and a $250,000 School Emergency Planning grant through the U.S. Department of Education.

The five-year School Climate Transformation grant ($750,000 annually) will focus on expanding the Montana Behavioral Initiative in more schools and improving the program in existing schools.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.