Sarasota schools shift mental‑health model, end Florida Center contract amid debate

Superintendent Conner and district student‑services leaders told the Sarasota County School Board on April 15 that the district will stop relying on a single primary contractor and move to a district‑managed, tiered model for school mental‑health services. The change, which the board approved as part of the consent agenda, includes adding district employees and expanding interagency agreements with community partners.

District leaders said the new plan will add five regional school‑based mental‑health service provider positions (licensed school psychologists) and seven home‑school liaison positions at Title I schools, funded through the district’s mental‑health allocation and interagency partnerships. Dr. Joseph Hutchinson, chief of student services, said the change is intended to speed response times, increase continuity of care and expand direct on‑campus supports.

"We are not in any way, shape, or form eliminating or diminishing our mental‑health therapeutic supports," Dr. Hutchinson said. He described the model as a three‑pronged approach of (1) school‑based mental‑health providers, (2) home‑school liaisons at seven Title I schools, and (3) therapeutic services provided by community partners…