24/7 crisis support
Students connect instantly with trained crisis counselors through the integrated Crisis Text Line, any hour of the day.
Montana Cares & MTPLC Student Support Services
Every Montana student deserves a safe place to turn.
Montana Cares brings 24/7 crisis support, mental health care, and staff training to rural, frontier, and tribal schools across the state.
MTPLC administers the federal STOP School Violence Grant in partnership with the Montana Small Schools Alliance, connecting districts to crisis response, teletherapy, and professional learning built for small Montana communities.
~80
Montana school districts served
27,000+
students reached statewide since 2022
4,000+
trained crisis counselors on call
Why this work matters in Montana
Rural schools face real, practical barriers to reaching mental health professionals — distance, cost, and workforce shortages chief among them.
MTPLC's Student Support Services exist to close that gap, bringing trauma-informed, practical support directly to the schools that need it most.
- Montana youth are more than twice as likely to die by suicide compared with the national average.
- In the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 26% of Montana high school students said they had seriously considered suicide.
- Nearly 150 small Montana school districts currently have no credentialed school counselor.
What Montana Cares provides
Montana Cares is a statewide network, not just an app. It gives students, families, and staff a direct, always-open line to help — reachable from a phone, a Chromebook, or the school website, and monitored around the clock by trained safety specialists.
Anonymous reporting
Students can safely ask for help or flag a concern through two-way, anonymous communication on the platform.
Local, customized resources
Districts tailor listings for mental health services, food and housing support, transportation, and school contacts.
Round-the-clock monitoring
Every submission is reviewed 24/7/365 by trained specialists who can escalate emergencies the moment they arise.
Out-of-hours coverage
Reports made on nights, weekends, holidays, or school breaks are still reviewed, vetted, and acted on by certified specialists.
Available on
Mobile app
Chromebook
School website
Phone
The platform is delivered and monitored by Lightspeed StopIt, whose Help Center escalates any life-threatening or imminent-threat situation straight to school administrators and local law enforcement.
What that has looked like so far
374
Crisis Text Line interventions
870
student & family resource requests
545
teletherapy sessions delivered
#1
reported issue: mental health
24/7
monitored, every day of the year
How a report moves from student to resolution
1
Student submits a request
A student asks for help — anonymously if they choose — through the Montana Cares mobile app, Chromebook, or phone.
2
Help Center monitors and escalates
Lightspeed StopIt's 24/7/365 Help Center reviews every submission and escalates life-threatening incidents to school administrators and local law enforcement.
3
School administrators act
Administrators receive and manage the incident through the admin app and web-based Incident Management System, all the way to resolution.
Beyond the app
Training, coaching, and direct clinical support
Schools in MTPLC's programs also get an ongoing partner: guidance from MTPLC's Training & Professional Learning Specialist, plus expanded teletherapy that helps close Montana's shortage of school-based mental health providers.
All of it is guided by a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework focused on prevention, early intervention, and support systems that hold up over time.
Support from the Training & Professional Learning Specialist
- Mental health and wellness professional learning
- Trauma-informed practices
- MTSS-aligned student support strategies
- School climate and culture support
- Behavioral health resource coordination
- Staff wellness support
- Program onboarding and implementation coaching
- Crisis response support and consultation
- Expanded teletherapy access to licensed mental health professionals, delivered across multiple districts
Belonging and resilience
School climate and culture programming
Participating schools can also draw on programs built to strengthen student connection, belonging, and resilience — not just respond after a crisis.
- Rachel's Challenge programming
- Wellness and resiliency curriculum
- CharacterStrong resources
- Trauma-informed training
- The Mandt System
- Violence prevention and school culture support
No or reduced cost
Extra support for MSSA, reservation, and Class C schools
Additional services are available if your district is a Montana Small Schools Alliance member, a reservation school serving a majority of Native American students, or an MHSA Class C school.
- Mandt training
- E-therapy
- CharacterStrong curriculum support
- Reduced rates on virtual workshops offered throughout the year
- Direct access to Meaghan Houlihan Schrader, Training & Professional Learning Specialist
MSSA member and tribal districts may also qualify for free or discounted Montana Cares, E-therapy, the Mental Health Resource Navigator, and Mandt training through the STOP School Violence Grant.
Why schools partner with MTPLC
Practical
Built around the day-to-day realities of Montana schools, not a generic national program.
Flexible
Resources and services can be shaped to fit each district's needs.
Relationship-focused
MTPLC works alongside schools as a partner, not a distant vendor.
Rural-focused
Designed intentionally for small, rural, frontier, and tribal districts.
Comprehensive
Prevention, intervention, training, crisis response, and community resources in one connected system.
Programs available to your school
Montana Cares is the anchor service, but the STOP School Violence Grant brings three more programs to participating schools — all administered by MTPLC alongside Montana Cares, not separate initiatives to track down on your own.
Montana Cares
The 24/7 anonymous reporting app and crisis-support platform described above — the front door to help for students, families, and staff.
Learn more
The Mandt System
A comprehensive approach to preventing, de-escalating, and — if necessary — intervening when someone's behavior threatens harm to themselves or others.
Learn more
CharacterStrong
A digital program building whole-child competencies and strong educator-student relationships, with a ready-to-use curriculum for PreK–12 classrooms.
Learn more
Rachel's Challenge
A suicide, school violence, and bullying prevention program that addresses the roots of harm through kindness, compassion, and connection.
Learn moreOur grant team
All four roles are funded through the same STOP School Violence Grant. Reach out to any of us directly.
Jessica Johnson
Executive Director · SSV Program Manager and Resource Navigator · Certified Mandt Trainer
[email protected]Meaghan Houlihan Schrader
Training & Professional Learning Specialist, Mental Health and Student Supports
[email protected]Dr. Erin Lipkind
Online Course Manager, Stop School Violence
Janelle Beers
Montana Small Schools Alliance Director
How schools can get started
Whether your district needs a full implementation plan or targeted support in one area, MTPLC can help identify the right services for your school community. Districts often start by strengthening:
Connect with MTPLC
Reach out to learn more about Student Support Services, Montana Cares, or current STOP School Violence Grant opportunities for your district.
- Jessica Johnson
- Executive Director, MTPLC
[email protected] - Meaghan Houlihan Schrader
- Training & Professional Learning Specialist
[email protected]
Together, we can strengthen Montana schools.
Every Montana student deserves access to a safe, connected, and supportive school environment. Through strong partnerships, responsive mental health supports, and high-quality professional learning, Montana schools can keep building systems that help every student thrive.
Montana Professional Learning Collaborative (MTPLC), also known as Montana Regional Education Service Area V, is a 501(c)(3) administering the STOP School Violence Grant in partnership with the Montana Small Schools Alliance.