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Baltimore County Schools Launch 15-School Mental Health Screening Pilot With Ray Lewis

The public–private partnership will provide confidential student screenings at no cost to the district.

Overview

  • Screenings using the Rising Together tool begin in late April across 15 Baltimore County Public Schools.
  • The pilot is designed to identify depression, anxiety and other risks early, focusing primarily on students roughly ages 8 to 15.
  • Parents will receive advance information and may opt their children out, and trained staff will administer the confidential questionnaires.
  • The effort is backed by Ray Lewis’s Ray of Hope Foundation along with Possibilities for Change, J&B Medical, and the Stephen and Renee Bisciotti Foundation, with no cost to BCPS.
  • Organizers say the program has been used in at least five other states and report more than 40% of identified students improved after intervention, and district leaders aim to expand locally after testing.