For the Supporting Healthy Alliances Reinforcing Education (SHARE) grant program to provide an integrated student wellness grant program to assist schools with addressing non-academic barriers to student success; provided, that grants shall be used to support school districts establishing an infrastructure to facilitate integrated coordination of school and community-based resources, including but not limited to, social services, mental health, and behavioral health resources; provided further, that priority shall be given by the department to schools and school districts serving high percentages of low-income students; provided further, that said supports may include funding to assist public school districts in contracting with licensed community-based health care service providers, including mental and behavioral health providers; provided further, that said program shall be administered by the department of elementary and secondary education in coordination with the executive office of health and human services; provided further, that the department shall prioritize applications for such services that are submitted by school districts whose applications are consistent with infrastructure and coordination efforts linking schools to community-based resources in accordance with item
7061-9612 of
section 2 of chapter 154 of the acts of 2018; provided further, that such support grants may be expended to assist school districts in connecting students with community-based services to maximize coordination with service providers and establish more comprehensive continuums of care; provided further, that such grants may also be expended to support increased professional development opportunities for public school employees to identify students in need of mental and behavioral health support; provided further, that for the purposes of this item, appropriated funds may be expended for programs or activities during the summer months; provided further, that any unexpended funds in this item shall not revert but shall be made available for the purpose of this item until June 30, 2024; and provided further, that any funds distributed from this item to a city, town or regional school district shall be deposited with the treasurer of such city, town or regional school district and held in a separate account and shall be expended by the school committee of the city, town or regional school district without further appropriation, notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary
