More than 200 Atlanta school employees will receive mental health training and students at 25 middle and high schools will participate in a suicide prevention program paid for with funding from Fulton County.

Fulton County Board of Commissioners voted 5-0 Wednesday to give Atlanta Public Schools $250,000 this year for various programs. 

The school district will use $52,850 to provide eight hours of mental health training to 216 staff members, who will learn the risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems in children, according to the district’s request for funding. It also will cover a suicide prevention program at 25 middle and high schools.

Nearly $70,000 of the county’s money will pay for 10 vision screening machines to detect eyesight problems in students.

The district also will use the money to pay for attendance incentives and to provide “mini-grants” to schools to support activities and events.

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Children in the Head Start program engage in indoor activities with lead teacher Genesis Lavanway at the Arthur M. Blank Early Learning Center, Atlanta, where providers, parents and advocates celebrated the 60th birthday of the federal Head Start program on Monday. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

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