Matt Lesser

SENATOR LESSER WELCOMES NEARLY $500,000 IN SCHOOL MENTAL HEALTH SPECIALIST SUPPORT FOR CROMWELL AND NEWINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

HARTFORD, CT – State Senator Matt Lesser (D-Middletown) welcomed the state’s announcement this week that $486,000 in state support will be released to the Cromwell and Newington School Districts to support the hiring and retention of school mental health specialists for the 2024, 2025 and 2026 school years. These grants were spurred by the passage of key legislation passed in 2022 by Senate Democrats, supporting youth mental health amid increasing reports of challenges students face today.

“In the wake of the pandemic, my Senate Democrat colleagues and I made addressing the mental health crisis a top priority,” said Sen. Lesser. “Student mental health support is vital to success in and out of the classroom, and I’m pleased that Newington and Cromwell students will now have access to specialized mental health care right in their schools.”

“Every child deserves essential support for behavioral health services, and through the release of these grants we are able to assist more school districts in hiring mental health workers,” Governor Ned Lamont said. “Making these resources available in schools is a way we can easily and directly connect children and teens with the support they require.”

The following school systems will receive mental health support funds for the 2024 through 2026 school years:

Cromwell School District, $162,000; Newington School District $324,000.