Granville County board approves pilot partnership with UNC Chapel Hill for school-based mental health services

The Granville County School Board voted to move forward with a pilot partnership with UNC Chapel Hill Hospital to provide mental-health services to students in district schools.

Board members debated the proposal at length before the motion passed. Proponents said the agreement creates new, voluntary options for families and a way to expand access without creating a direct financial burden for the district. “There are students in our schools right now that desperately need some professional support,” a district official told the board, adding the program would start small as a pilot in selected schools and require parental consent.

Opponents raised concerns about outside providers operating inside school buildings, data protections, and long-term dependency on external medical providers. One board member said she had deep reservations about the involvement of particular outside institutions and noted historical disagreements over pandemic-era guidance; she also asked for stronger oversight and the ability to stop referrals if the board judged the arrangement was not working. Board members asked for regular reporting on referrals and a 90-day termination-without-cause clause in the agreement that would allow the district to end the MOU if needed.

District staff and the trio of board members who supported the measure emphasized these features: parental consent would be required, student medical records would remain with the medical provider (not the school), telehealth appointments could be held on campus but only in private space with a trained staff helper present, and parents could join sessions or decline school-based services. The superintendent’s office said the pilot would be limited to a small number of campuses — likely middle schools and the alternative school — and that the district could terminate the MOU if it did not meet expectations.

After discussion, a motion to proceed with the UNC Chapel Hill Hospital agreement carried. The board asked staff to provide regular, aggregated updates on referral counts and service locations (without student names), and to report any concerns to the board promptly.

The agreement was approved as a pilot; no funding obligation to the district was reported at the meeting. The board recorded one vote against the motion and no recorded abstentions.

Board members who spoke during the discussion included the district official presenting the plan, the director of student services, and several board members expressing both support and reservation. The board directed staff to begin a small pilot and return to the full board with periodic updates on outcomes, participation counts and any issues.

The vote: motion carried; one board member opposed.

The board will receive ongoing written updates and data on the pilot’s usage and may terminate the MOU with 90 days’ notice if it decides to do so.