Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves announced a $16 million mental health investment earlier this month seeking to pilot new innovations for students in grades 6–12 in 29 school districts statewide.
The new technology pilot, Canopy Anywhere, is a collaboration between the Mississippi Development Authority and the nonprofit Canopy Children’s Solutions to deploy tiered mental wellness tools and support low- and moderate-income schools.
The initiatives financial support is derived from Community Development Block Grant-COVID-19 funds, which were administered by the state and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The program is set to roll out Aug. 26, and it should impact 40,000 students, according to state officials.
Canopy Anywhere will be accessible to students via their school-provided devices. It offers an evidence-based curriculum that can be self-guided or used in a classroom setting. Its intent is to give students and their families real-time support. The program is structured to begin with screening and assessment that engages deeper support, if needed.
During 2024, the initial pilot in Madison County served 628 students, with 143 identified with immediate needs and connected to in-person support. Coordinators of the program are expecting scalable results as it expands across the state.
Reeves framed the program as an extension of the academic progress the state has seen, often referred to as the Mississippi Miracle in national discussions. Mississippi ranked among the lowest in reading scores to showing some of the greatest growth in a short period. He noted that academic needs go hand in hand with the growing need to address adolescent emotional needs.
Nationwide, the percentage of adolescents reporting at least one major depressive episode in the past year has increased nearly 90% with three million having serious thoughts of suicide. About one in three high school students report persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness.
Mississippi’s mental wellness model is not unique among states in its aim to target mental health, but the multi-pronged approach is being characterized by the governor and state media outlets as a first-of-its-kind approach. It offers:
- Real-time clinical screening
- Evidence-based hope curriculum
- Self-guided mental wellness lessons
- Tech-enabled care navigation for students and caregivers
- Resource navigation for families
- Integrated support across emotional, social and medical
As a first step, following screenings, middle and high school students are placed into three categories based on mental health needs. Those in the two higher-need categories are connected to mental health professionals for follow-up. State leaders are hopeful this process will help early intervention efforts, reducing the need for crisis response.
Intervention efforts in schools are already in place for behavior modification. Nationwide initiatives such as RtI and PBIS address outward expressions or actions. Although these are entirely separate from the mission of Canopy Anywhere, the ability to screen and engage scalable help is conceptually similar.
With the 2025-2026 school year rollout, approximately 20% of all Mississippi middle and high school students will be enrolled in the program.
Photo by RDNE Stock project from Pexels
