Rockingham schools to open second telehealth site; staff to present usage data later

Rockingham County Schools announced a second school-based telehealth site during the March 31 work session and said it aims to implement the site by the start of the next school year.

A district presenter said the second telehealth program will be sponsored by "the RAF" and follows the first telehealth site at Mall Street, which was supported by the Holgerby family. The presenter said the district selected the second site (referred to in the meeting transcript as "Leastful Spray") after reviewing student average daily membership (ADM), the percentage of students eligible for free and reduced-price lunch, sick visits to school nurses, chronic absenteeism, and available space.

The presenter said, "We hope to have this implemented by August the first day of school." Staff said Dr. Jenkins and school nursing staff will assist with the transition and that district officials plan to present data on attendance and usage from the Mall Street site later in the spring; Dr. Jenkins was expected to present the data at a future work session or regular meeting once the year-end numbers were available.

Board members asked whether attendance differences at the Mall Street site would be reported; staff said they would wait until the end of the school year and that Dr. Jenkins would bring an update in April, May or June. The district described the selection criteria for the new site and thanked community sponsors and staff involved in the program.

No formal vote was recorded; the presentation served as an informational update and a directive to continue implementation planning.