Beatrice Public Schools was recently awarded the Stronger Connections Grant from the Nebraska Department of Education.
The two-year grant will provide funding for mental health services in the elementary school.
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Jackie Nielsen said the district partners with area mental health providers.
“We have a large number of partners that drop in weekly with students,” she said. “The nice part of this grant is there will be a therapist that will be a part of the staff and in the building. They will be able to check in daily with students.
“Our goal is to help students build a strong foundation in the elementary school so when they transition to middle school and high school, they have the skills they need to cope. We hope they will understand how their mind works. We hope they will become more engaged in that learning environment and be successful. Our goal is to build good citizens.”
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Carlina Grove was hired as the mental health counselor. She has been working as the guidance counselor in Lincoln and Stoddard Elementary.
Nielsen said that during the last two years Grove has provided 956 individual school counseling sessions. She met with 204 individual students. Seventy-nine students were referred to the School Community Intervention and Prevention program. Twenty-nine students in the elementary were assessed for suicide and safety risk. She led 35 small groups with a variety of different skills.
“Guidance counselors teach full-time, so they fit in small groups, individual sessions and whatever comes up,” she said. “This will help our guidance counselors support our students and families, in addition to our teachers and other staff.”
She noted that this will position will also result in a reduction in the loss of time.
“When a student has an appointment, they have to leave the school. Now they will be able to stay in school, receive therapy and acclimate back into the classroom,” she said. “This will continue to help our teachers.”
In the 2022-23 school year, 286 students at Paddock Lane Elementary missed five or more days of the school year.
“Our goal is also to help reduce the absenteeism rate,” she said.
Currently, about a quarter of a full-time position of a partnering provider has been recorded as helping teachers who have asked for assistance in supporting students with mental health needs.
“Our teachers are seeking outside support,” she said. “They want their students to be successful.”
Nielsen said St. Paul’s Parochial School will also be able to access services from the mental health grant for their students and families.
Counselor Carlina Grove said she was looking forward to the new elementary building.
“I’m looking forward to a space that students will be able to relax and process,” she said. “I am looking forward to being able to control the lighting. There will be opportunities for the whole team to help students regulate.”
Grove said she is looking forward to working with a team in collaboration with teachers and time to help students. She will also be working with and supporting families as a part of the position.
"I want students to think about their mental health as just as important as brushing their teeth. "I brush my teeth; I take a shower and I also take care of my brain," she said.
