The Board of Education for the Public Schools of Robeson County voted Aug. 12 to adopt a district mental‑health plan that district staff said aligns with the district's school‑based mental health policy and state expectations.

Dr. Sherry Herndon presented the plan and said it is intended to address student wellness factors that affect learning, behavior and attendance. "I stand before you to request approval of our mental health plan which is aligned with the school based mental health policy," Herndon said.

Board member Dr. Emmanuel moved to adopt the plan; Melissa Oceans seconded the motion. The board approved the plan on a voice vote.

Staff described the tools and partnerships the plan will use. Sources of data include the Classworks social and emotional screener (grades K–12), counselor and social‑worker records, behavior and attendance data, and school student support teams that review alerts and screeners to identify students at risk.

Telehealth and third‑party services were a focus of board questions. Staff said Hazel Health will provide telehealth services under a contract the district has asked board counsel to draft; the contract was described as "in the editing process" and staff said it will be presented to the board next month. Staff told the board Hazel Health bills Medicaid and private insurance when available but that the company can still serve students without coverage. The plan requires a parental consent form for teletherapy services.

The plan also relies on vendor tools and protocols already or piloted in the district: Gaggle alerts (which route school‑team email and text notifications for identified student risks), and the state "Say Something" anonymous reporting line (operated by a call center that forwards reports to school teams without identifying caller information). "At no point in time are those phone calls coming to us... There's no identifiable information," district staff explained about the anonymous reporting line.

Board members also discussed community‑provider partnerships. Staff clarified that regional behavioral health entities now operate under the consolidated Trillium name (formerly Monarch in the region), and staff recommended continued partnership with regional providers.

Why this matters: the plan sets district policy and operational tools for identifying and responding to student mental‑health needs across the district. Adoption of the plan does not, by itself, authorize the Hazel Health contract; staff said the contract will be before the board in a future agenda item.

Action taken: motion to adopt the mental‑health plan made by Dr. Emmanuel, seconded by Melissa Oceans, and approved by the board. Staff said they will return with the Hazel Health contract for board review and approval.