ROME  — The New York State Office of Mental Health has awarded the Rome City School District a $2.42 million grant to expand its mental health offerings to students and families.

“The five-year award will benefit students at all grades,” said Amanda Jones, the district’s director of counseling.

A National Alliance on Mental Illness teen mental health poll found that teens want schools to play a big role in their mental health, and they trust the information they get there. Grant projects in the 2022-27 grant will include:

Exploration and implementation of a universal screening process to help identify students who may be experiencing potential mental health struggles.

Development and refinement of a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) model at each school specifically targeting mental health supports.

Refining its referral system through a partnership with Connected Community Schools, which assists families in getting connected with resources and agency supports in the community.

District Superintendent Peter Blake said he is extremely proud to work with such a talented group of school counselors and social workers. The district is fortunate to have them working with the children in the area of mental health, he said.

“Thank you to all of them, and our Director of Counseling Services Amanda Jones, for taking the time to submit this grant,” Blake said. “Any time we secure a competitive grant shows that our team is doing something good for kids. This award will certainly go a long way to assisting our district to fund these programs.”