Graduate-level students from three metro Atlanta universities will help Clayton County Schools address the mental health needs of young people in the south metro Atlanta district.

Students from Georgia State, Kennesaw State and Clark Atlanta universities will work in six Clayton schools to provide mental health support for youngsters, the district says. The goal of the pilot program, which is being funded in part by an $8 million federal grant for the U.S. Department of Education, is to grow the child behavioral health workforce in Georgia.

“We are excited about entering this partnership and the potential positive benefit it will bring to our students and their families,” Interim Clayton Schools Superintendent Anthony Smith said in a release.

Clayton officials said it estimates that 200 district students could receive mental health services through the pilot. That number, the district said, could grow depending on how many students from the three universities participate.

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