Ray Lewis is teaming up with Baltimore County Public Schools to launch the Rising Together schoolwide mental-health screening in 15 middle schools, including Deep Creek Middle School in Essex. The tool is built to spot early signs of depression, anxiety, and other behavioral-health risks in students roughly ages 8 to 15, with trained staff handling the screenings. District leaders say the pilot will come at no cost to Baltimore County, with community and foundation partners picking up the tab for implementation.
According to WBAL-TV, Lewis gave the keynote address at BCPS's Mind Over Matters conference and called the work deeply personal after the loss of his son, telling students, "He's not dying in vain." The station reports that the Ray of Hope Foundation, Possibilities for Change, J&B Medical, and the Stephen and Renee Bisciotti Foundation helped bring the program to the county, and that parents will have the option to keep their children out of the screening. County officials are describing the pilot as one piece of a broader push to expand school-based mental-health supports.
How Rising Together works
The Rising Together model uses a short, technology-enabled questionnaire that generates real-time results for school counselors and wellness teams, according to Possibilities for Change. The provider says the trauma-informed system pairs quick follow-up with outreach to families and connections to local care, and reports that nearly half of students flagged for anxiety or depression saw improvements after they were identified and received intervention. Organizers highlight staff training and built-in communication tools so schools are equipped to move from simply spotting concerns to actually responding to them.
Where it will run locally
Baltimore County plans to pilot the screening in 15 middle schools, with Deep Creek Middle School specifically named as a participating site, as reported by WBAL-TV. The district's Mind Over Matters campaign, which hosted the conference where Lewis spoke, collects and shares mental-health resources for students and families, according to Baltimore County Public Schools. Officials say this initial phase is meant to test logistics and gauge community response before any decision on a wider rollout.
What families should know
Organizers say parents can opt their children out of the screening, but will still receive resources and guidance even if they decline. The Ray of Hope Foundation presents family empowerment as a central part of the Rising Together model and says parents and guardians will be given tools to keep conversations going at home. Trained staff will be present during screenings to walk students through the questionnaire and to make immediate referrals when a student is flagged for concern.
Program partners describe the pilot as a starting point for potential expansion if the model proves both logistically workable and clinically effective. Rising Together's organizers have set national goals to bring screening and follow-up support to many more schools, according to Possibilities for Change. Baltimore County leaders say they will share more details on timing and family communication through individual schools as the pilot schedule is finalized.
