Vice President Kamala Harris visited Eastway Middle School in Charlotte on Thursday to speak about federal funding for youth mental health.
Harris highlighted the $285 million made possible through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, passed in 2022, to hire more than 14,000 mental health counselors throughout American schools. North Carolina schools will get $12 million to hire 332 new counselors, Harris said.
The vice president said the counselors will provide group sessions, individual therapy and facilitate student mediation, along with social and emotional lessons.
The move is part of a larger effort to address youth concerns — especially gun violence and mental health.
“One in five Americans has a family member that was killed because of gun violence,” Harris said during the event. “Those numbers on their head are extraordinarily tragic and shocking. When we take the time to consider what those numbers mean, let’s understand how many people in our country —including the children —are experiencing profound trauma.”
Just days into 2024, the Charlotte community has already suffered from gun violence.
This month, a teenager was shot and killed during a party in northwest Charlotte and a 19-year-old is facing multiple charges after a shooting injured five people during a New Year’s Eve celebration in Uptown.
In 2023, shootings involving a youth suspect in Charlotte rose by 33% and shootings involving a youth victim increased by 18%, according to o a report published by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Police Department.
Corteasia Riddick, a social worker for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS), said four of her family members were victims of gun violence. The increased rates of violence among youth create a need for mental health professionals in schools, she said.
Riddick said CMS is “heavily understaffed,” making it difficult to meet the increased demand for the support of students impacted by trauma from gun violence in recent years.
“We are witnessing an alarming rate of students presenting with various mental health issues, including higher rates of depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation,” Riddick said during the event.
One student, Malachi Thompson, who attends West Charlotte High School, spoke about his experience with mental health and about a 16-year-old relative who died from gun violence.
“We have to do more work in here,” Thompson said on the need for more mental health resources in schools during the press event.
Harris noted the impact of gun violence on the community, calling it “personal.”
The vice president’s visit is part of the Biden Administration’s ongoing campaign to highlight safer schools and communities.
