Everett schools end Elliott onsite contract; district shifts to school-employed clinicians, officials say

The Everett School Committee discussed on April 29 a planned shift away from the Elliott Resource Center’s onsite clinical contract toward a model that relies on district-employed social workers and a network of community mental-health providers.

Superintendent Bill Hart said the district’s clinical strategy will emphasize triage and immediate, on-site response by district clinicians: “The model that we’ve shifted to ... is kind of a continual care. It’s triage. You’re seeing our person as needed, when needed,” Hart said. He described the change as intended to reduce wait times and increase continuity of care in schools.

Doctor Wallace and Amanda Benitez, clinical supervisor, joined the committee for detailed questions. Administrators said roughly 230–240 families currently used Elliott services in the district; Elliott’s contract historically provided up to 14 clinicians but Hart said there were seven Elliott clinicians on-site at the time of the transition. The district reported it now employs 21 social workers and 31 school counselors; officials said the combined counseling staff would be available to provide immediate support in schools.

Hart and district clinicians said families that prefer Elliott or other outpatient providers may keep that relationship; those families would generally receive services in outpatient clinics rather than in-school visits if insurance requires it. The district has identified several community providers and referral resources, and staff described an outreach plan that includes family information sessions, translated letters and individual clinical follow-ups.

Parents raised concerns about coverage for uninsured or underinsured children. Hart said district-employed clinicians will continue to provide services regardless of a family’s insurance status and that staff will help find placements and supports with no cost to the family where applicable.

Administrators said they had coordinated transition planning with Elliott, that district clinicians would review individual cases with Elliott clinicians to recommend next steps, and that the district would hold additional family information sessions (including Zoom options) and phone outreach to minimize disruption.

Committee action: after discussion the committee voted to refer the item back to the sponsoring members for further follow-up and outreach (motion to refer passed at the meeting). No policy or procurement vote to terminate Elliott was recorded in the committee meeting minutes presented on April 29.

Officials asked committee members to forward any constituent contacts about continuity of care so staff can conduct direct outreach.