Wake County Public Schools outlines expanded school-based mental health partnerships and access efforts

Wake County Public Schools staff and community partners on the district’s Community Engagement Committee detailed programs and partnerships on mental health services for students, including efforts to expand school-based therapists, teletherapy, crisis reentry supports and family engagement.

Board member Reitz, who opened the discussion noting mental health as a priority, said, “If we have mentally well and emotionally well students, we have success.” The presentation that followed summarized the district’s school mental health plan components, existing vendor partnerships and barriers such as consent paperwork and recent federal funding cuts.

The district’s staff described a mix of programs operating under a system-of-care approach. Michael Pesch, a Wake County Public Schools staff member, briefed the committee that the district will present its school mental health plan to the board in September and said the presentation focused on community stakeholders and the referral, treatment and reentry process. Pesch said, “Each September, we always present the school mental health plan that we've been working on as required by the state.”

Debbie Richardson, representing Alliance’s school-based team, detailed a long-running partnership with the district. She said Alliance’s program accepts referrals directly from schools for the highest-risk (tier 3) students, supports crisis monitoring and coordinates reentry from psychiatric facilities, and shares data under the district’s MOA. Richardson said, “Every decision, everything we…