WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — United States Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) announced on Friday, April 7, 2023, that Midwestern State University will receive more than $130,000 in federal funding for mental health services.

Sen. Cornyn said in a press release that MSU Texas was awarded a federal grant totaling $136,863 to train school counselors, social workers, psychologists, or other mental health professionals qualified to provide school-based mental health services.

Julie Gaynor, Director of Marketing and Public Information for MSU Texas, said the latest grant funding awarded to the university appears to be a portion of a much larger grant that MSU Texas received from the United States Department of Education for mental health services at the beginning of April.

The latest round of federal funding for MSU Texas was authorized as a result of Sen. Cornyn’s Mental Health & School Safety Bill, which was signed into law following the tragic mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas in 2022.

“No parent should fear for the safety of their student when they drop them off at school, and no student should be afraid when they walk into the classroom,” Sen. Cornyn said.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Mental Health Service Professionals Demonstration Program was authorized by Sen. Cornyn’s Bipartisan Safer Communities Act signed into law on June 25, 2022.

“In the aftermath of the tragedy in Uvalde, I’m grateful that meaningful solutions are starting to be delivered through this funding to prevent violence, provide training to school personnel and students, and hire additional mental health professionals in Texas schools,” Sen. Cornyn said.

According to the release from Sen. Cornyn’s office, the legislation addresses specific concerns that have led to recent mass shootings, including the need for additional mental health services and school safety resources.