Mission Consolidated Independent School District has been selected as one of seven local school districts that will benefit greatly from a $5.7 million grant awarded to UTRGV by the U.S. Department of Education. The grant will assist in providing mental health service support at Mission CISD through the MHS ACCESS: Accessing Mental Health Services project. The goal of the project is to provide critical mental health services to K-12 students.
Mission CISD already has an agreement in place for working with practicum or internship students of either school psychology, counseling, or social work, however, the collaboration will assist in increasing the availability of Licensed Specialists in School Psychology (LSSP’s) In the district.
Superintendent Dr. Carol G. Perez, along with the MCISD Board of Trustees continue to prioritize Mental Health support for our students and are excited to collaborate with UTRGV in this unprecedented initiative.
“We are very excited about this collaboration because it couldn’t have come at a better time,” said Dr. Carol G. Perez, superintendent. “Our children have gone through so many losses and in order for us to educate our children, we must make sure their basic needs are met.”
The process begins with a total of 120 School-Based Mental Health Service Professionals being employed as school psychologists, counselors or social workers in one of the seven partnered school agencies within the local region.
Additionally, students participating in the MHS ACCESS program will develop skills and knowledge in local schools and will take their research and practice wherever they go, making their impact in the Rio Grande Valley.
Mission CISD is a public education district serving approximately 14,500 students in the Rio Grande Valley along the Texas/Mexico border. Hidalgo County and our community were one of the hardest hit areas by the COVID-19 pandemic. The post COVID-19 Pandemic has changed the panorama of children and their families in public education.
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