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School board agrees to pursue state-directed telehealth mental‑health grant with parent-led rollout
Summary
Amherst County Public Schools won preliminary approval to pursue a roughly $300,000 state grant that requires telehealth delivery of mental‑health services. The superintendent sought a board consensus to accept contractors and proceed; the board asked for close monitoring and quarterly updates.
Amherst County Public Schools presented revised plans to use a state-directed mental‑health grant that requires telehealth delivery and won board consensus to move forward while keeping parents central to implementation. Superintendent Dr. Wells asked the board for a consensus to accept contractors and proceed with the grant by the state's October 1 deadline.
The memo before the board described a roughly $300,000 award (with about $45,000 available for staffing) that the state has limited to telehealth. Administrators said the intent is to provide an additional tier‑3 support option so families can schedule virtual sessions from home evenings, weekends or school breaks; in-school sessions would be accommodated only when parents lack home Internet or specifically request assistance. Board members repeatedly emphasized that existing crisis and threat‑assessment processes, and in‑school counseling, would continue unchanged.
Administrators said they sought telehealth after state guidance in late May limited grant use to virtual care. The division will contract with telehealth providers selected through an RFP process and has also identified two local outpatient agencies for in‑person follow up when needed; contract names were not finalized at the meeting. Officials told the board they must notify the state of chosen telehealth contractors by Oct. 1 to secure federal and state components of funding.
Board members sought details on staffing, logistics and parental involvement. The administration said the plan is a slow rollout that emphasizes families scheduling telehealth sessions at home so parents retain oversight and control. If demand requires in‑school facilitation, administrators said they could use the $45,000 personnel allocation to fund a rotating staff member to schedule and oversee sessions or to issue stipends, but only if monitoring showed an in‑building need.
Board members requested regular reports. Several members said they supported the grant only after administrators revised the plan to ensure parents were engaged and to reduce extra burdens on building staff. The board agreed to quarterly updates on the program and data on utilization.
Administrators stressed that the telehealth program is an added layer of support and not a replacement for immediate in‑school crisis response; threat assessments and referrals to acute care (for example, to area hospitals) remain the existing protocols for students in crisis. The administration noted that other divisions using similar telehealth services reported very low in‑school usage, with most sessions held from home.
Next steps include finalizing telehealth contracts, confirming the scope of services, and communicating program details and consent processes to parents. The board’s consensus allows the administration to continue contract negotiations and accept the grant, with the commitment to provide ongoing updates and to revisit staffing if in‑building demand rises.
