Feds cut grant supporting St. Scholastica students’ mental health work with schoolkids

DULUTH – The U.S. Department of Education is ending a $3.9 million grant that the College of St. Scholastica has used to place master’s-level occupational therapy students into regional school districts to boost mental health services.

The federally funded Mental Health Service Provider grant program was the largest grant the college had received when it was first awarded in 2022. It was created to address provider shortages as mental health diagnoses were on the rise among school-aged children. The college found out Tuesday that funding will be cut at the end of December 2025 — though it was originally scheduled to run through 2027.

“Our response was ‘Hey, we know we’re doing really impactful things and we know that it’s making a difference,’” said Kaisa Syvaoja, the program’s director. “We’re going to rally and showcase that. We’ve had an outpouring of community support, which speaks to the impact we have.”

The program placed students studying for a master’s degree in occupational therapy into schools within four school districts in this region for 12 weeks of hands-on work with students and administrators. The college estimates that 5,000 school-aged children in the Twin Ports and Arrowhead region would be affected if this program ends.

St. Scholastica is fighting the cut, according to a statement from the college. It has secured legal counsel, approached lawmakers, and is appealing the Department of Education’s decision.

The college also is considering creative options to keep the program going with leadership within the Northern Lights Academy in Cloquet, Duluth Edison Charter Schools, Rock Ridge Public Schools in Virginia and Superior (Wis.) Public Schools, Syvaoja said.

St. Scholastica President Barbara McDonald said in a news release that she and other school officials are disappointed by the cut in funding to the program that has been successful in addressing mental health needs in the community while aligning with the “foundational mission of occupational therapy.”

“We firmly believe that our approach — integrating classroom learning with community action — is both innovative and critically needed," McDonald said.

St. Scholastica students have helped younger kids with test anxiety and the looming change in schedules offered by summer break. They’ve made recommendations to school administrators about how to manage less-structured spaces like cafeterias and recess areas, according to Syvaoja.

Emily Kieke, who will graduate with her master’s degree this month, recently completed a rotation at a local school she didn’t disclose, serving students in grades K-12. She spent 40 hours a week onsite and worked with all the school’s students on identifying emotions and regulating them, she said. They made crafts, played games and learned coping strategies. Students were taught to modify their environment if they needed to and to recognize when they needed a break to move their bodies.

Kieke saw results, she said. Positive friendships were formed, students were using the language they had learned to identify their emotions, and they were advocating for their needs.

“I think it’s cool to see how impactful it is,” she said, adding that it would be disappointing to lose this relationship between the college and the schools.