BETHLEHEM, Pa. (WLVT) -- Liberty High School and the Northern Lehigh School District each received more than $300,000 in state grants to establish programs to support students' mental and emotional health.
Liberty High and the Bethlehem Area School District will create a wellness center with the $385,000 it received with the help of state Rep. Steve Samuelson, D-Bethlehem.
"The safety grants used to be focused on locked doors ... and what we called hard security pieces," said Bethlehem schools Superintendent Joseph Roy. "Now we've seen the transition over to recognizing the importance of mental health and behavioral health supports."
The Northern Lehigh School District received $365,000.
Northern Lehigh plans to create "quiet spaces" for students and perhaps expand the school police officer's job from part- to full-time, said Assistant Superintendent Tania Stoker.
"A lot of times things that happen outside of the school day are brought into the school day, so we’re trying to address and educate the whole student and remove any barriers a student might have toward a successful education,” she said.
