Family Services Inc. pitches in‑school therapeutic day treatment; seeks MOU with Petersburg schools

Family Services Incorporated told the Petersburg City Public Schools board on July 16 it can place clinicians inside school buildings to help students with disruptive behavior and avoid suspensions, but it needs a memorandum of understanding from the division to begin.

The presentation, given by Courtney Curtis and Kennard (Kennard/Kenara in the transcript) Curtis of Family Services Incorporated and clinical director Shantel Cooper, described a Therapeutic Day Treatment (TDT) model that places qualified mental health professionals into classrooms for individual and group sessions, crisis intervention and real‑time behavioral supports. “It is a program where our actual QMHPs would be coming into the building and helping children with their behaviors,” Courtney Curtis told the board.

Family Services said the program aims to keep students in class by de‑escalating incidents in the moment, building rapport with teachers and students, coordinating with families and providing follow‑up clinical work. “Our primary goal is to keep them in the classroom,” Shantel Cooper said, adding that individualized treatment planning and close oversight of staff are core elements of the service.

The presenters described the program’s referral and insurance process: referrals can come from counselors, teachers or district staff, a clinical assessment is completed, and services are billed to Medicaid when eligible. Family Services said it is credentialed with insurance payers and that services would not require the district to place money in the budget. “We would need an MOU from the school system stating that we can come into the school. There’s no charge for our services from you all… everything is through Medicaid,” Courtney Curtis told board members.

Board members asked operational questions about target schools, referrals and documentation. Family Services identified Cool Springs and Lakemont elementary schools as initial targets and said it already provides TDT to some students from those schools. It said eligibility reviews are done by clinical staff, and that insurance approvals may sometimes deny coverage; nevertheless the presenters said they work with students even when insurance denial occurs because the school need is present.

A student who had completed the program, Keanna Graham, described clinical and family supports she received and said the services helped her stay on track in school. Board members on the disciplinary committee and others praised the program and asked district staff to follow up. Board member Bernard J. Lundy Jr. thanked the presenters and the student for a “great” presentation; board member Halby Miles asked for clarity on referrals and MOU requirements. Superintendent Brown and board members agreed to arrange a meeting with district leadership to discuss next steps.

No formal board vote was taken on the proposal. The district plans follow‑up meetings between Family Services and school administrators to draft any MOU and to clarify referral, documentation and logistics before providers begin delivering TDT inside classrooms.