Claire Allen-Platt

A series of school shootings and post-pandemic concerns about student emotional and psychological wellbeing prompted renewed federal interest in school-based mental health services. Congress responded with the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022 (BSCA) to support a variety of violence reduction strategies, including a significant boost in funding for two U.S. Department of Education programs that seek to increase the number and diversity of school-based mental health service providers in

Recent school shootings and lingering effects from the pandemic have sparked renewed concerns about school safety and student well-being. In response, Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) of 2022 and provided $1 billion in funding for the Stronger Connections Grant Program (BSCA-SC) to supplement other efforts intended to make schools safer and more supportive for learning. Through BSCA-SC, states competitively award subgrants to high-need districts to help them prevent