The Lake Wales Charter Schools board on Aug. 12 approved unified mental‑health plans for all seven schools, adopted a district mental‑health assistance policy and renewed the Hazel Health telehealth contract, district staff said.

What staff presented: Marcia Rose described the mental‑health plans as a unified system approach required in part by House Bill 969 and said the district standardized the plans so audit and program reporting can be done consistently. She said schools will continue to document additional initiatives at the school level while the district maintains the common, auditable elements.

Rose described core elements: the policy and plans establish early identification, timelines for assessment and services, expanded school‑based mental‑health staffing and partnerships with community providers. The policy formalizes training expectations, standardized suicide‑risk assessments, crisis de‑escalation protocols and family engagement requirements.

On training: Trustees asked about youth mental‑health first aid and annual staff training. Staff said the district retains youth mental‑health first‑aid as a core program and clarified requirements changed at the state level: teachers who have previously completed the course remain certified and the district maintains an 80% staff training target systemwide. The district supplements that with vector (annual) training and in‑person sessions from social workers and other specialists.

Hazel Health: Staff presented the Hazel Health contract renewal and gave usage data. Marcia Rose said, “At the end of the year, last year, we had 582 physical health visits and over 250 mental health visits,” and noted some visits continued through the summer. Hazel Health provides on‑demand telehealth physical and mental‑health visits to students at no cost to families; school staff may refer students for sessions during the school day or families may use services from home.

Trustee questions and outreach: Trustees asked how to increase family awareness of Hazel Health. Staff said the vendor and site nurses assist with outreach via parent email, social media and on‑site signups; the district will coordinate on social posts and parent events and meet with Hazel Health leadership to increase usage.

Board action: The trustees approved the seven unified mental‑health plans, adopted the mental‑health assistance policy and renewed the Hazel Health contract by voice votes during the regular meeting.