Durbin announces $14 million in funding for mental health support at public schools
CHICAGO (CBS) -- U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin has announced more than $14 million in federal funding for Chicago Public Schools students and the Illinois State Board of Education, saying more needs to be done to help kids suffering mental trauma.
Durbin expressed special concern for the children who ran for cover at a playground last week as Chicago police officer Andrés Mauricio Vásquez Lasso was killed in a shootout with a suspect while responding to a domestic violence call.
"So Durbin, you're a politician, you've come and talked about a great big problem, what are you going to do about it?" Durbin said. "What I'm going to do about it is try to get the resources to the Chicago Public Schools system to do something. $14 million. $14 million for more counseling, for reaching out to students just like those on the playground, and others who need to sit down and talk to somebody, because it isn't like you're finished forever once you've been through a traumatic experience. There's hope."
The senator said the federal funding will go toward trauma-informed care and additional mental health personnel in public schools through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act passed by Congress last year.