Carteret County Public Schools has been selected to participate in North Carolina’s latest cohort of Project AWARE, a five-year initiative designed to bolster school behavioral health systems and improve access to mental health support for students and their families. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction received a $7.5 million grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for this endeavor, which will also support Ashe County Schools and Person County Schools from 2026 to 2031.
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Carteret County is expected to receive approximately $467,000 annually over the next five years. The partnership with the Project AWARE team at NCDPI brings the initiative to southeastern North Carolina, which had not been included in previous cohorts.
Richie Paylor, superintendent of Carteret County Public Schools, remarked that being part of Cohort 3 presents an excellent opportunity to enhance the mental and behavioral health programs already in place. He emphasized that the grant will provide vital resources and partnerships necessary for creating a more integrated support system for students and families.
The Project AWARE initiative aims to establish a comprehensive behavioral health system focused on prevention, early intervention, access to treatment, crisis response, workforce development, family and youth engagement, and collaboration with community behavioral health providers.
The grant will primarily focus on two goals: increasing mental health awareness within the school system and community, and expanding service access for students needing additional support. This funding is expected to support the hiring of new personnel, including a Project AWARE Director and coach, increase access to licensed mental health professionals for students, and provide professional development for school staff. Additionally, the district plans to enhance referral processes and facilitate connections between students, families, and mental health resources.
Carteret County will join other districts that have been part of Project AWARE since its inception in North Carolina in 2018. To date, previous Project AWARE districts have developed or revised 91 school mental health policies, trained over 53,000 educators and school staff, and formed 94 agreements with community mental health providers.
Project AWARE activities will commence once funding is available, likely beginning in the later part of the 2026–2027 school year and continuing until 2031. Initial efforts will focus on establishing grant-funded positions, assessing existing resources, crafting implementation plans, strengthening community partnerships, and identifying opportunities for engagement among staff, students, and families. Further updates regarding Project AWARE's implementation in Carteret County Public Schools will be provided as the initiative progresses.