After the shooting at a school in Uvalde, Texas, killed 19 students and two teachers and injured 17 others, Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. It was the first federal gun legislation in decades.
Some of the dollars allocated in the bill were aimed at helping schools better assist students' mental health needs. However, a recent investigation by WCNC found that about $40 million in the Carolinas is unused.
There are a variety of reasons for this, bureaucracy and a lack of infrastructure among them.
On the next Charlotte Talks, we discuss why these funds are being left unused, what officials are doing or not doing to help, and how schools that have received the money are using it.
GUESTS:
Belinda Ezell, mental health therapist in York School District 1, serving Hickory Grove and Sharon Elementary
Nate Morabito, WCNC investigative reporter
Nirmita Panchal, senior policy analyst for KFF with a focus on data analysis for mental health and substance use
Lisa Spangler, coordinator of special projects at York School District 1
