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School board approves contracted occupational and physical therapy services for students with disabilities
Summary
The Marion County School District approved consent items 5.6 and 5.7 to provide occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT) to students with disabilities under physicians' orders, funded through IDEA and related sources; the services are delivered at schools and often involve contracted providers because the district lacks in-house OT/PT.
The Marion County School Board on a 5-0 vote approved consent agenda items 5.6 and 5.7 to provide occupational therapy and physical therapy as related services for students with disabilities.
District staff described the services as being provided under physician orders and implemented through each student's individualized education program. “Is our occupational therapy services ... it's pretty much doing a doctor sends in the orders and things like that in the student, and recommends health services for the students,” said April, a district staff member who explained items 5.6 and 5.7 during the meeting.
Why it matters: OT and PT are related services that must be provided when specified in a student's IEP. District staff said the district typically funds those services with IDEA funds and sometimes draws Medicaid when available, but the district does not employ in-house OT/PT staff at the same level it employs speech-language staff.
Details and discussion: April told the board that OT and PT are ordered through the IEP process and approved by the committee that includes administrators, special-education teachers and parents. “They approve the amount of minutes that are necessary,” April said. Board members asked whether the services are performed in schools (they are) and whether the district pays for the visits (staff said yes; reimbursable revenue sources can include Medicaid but many costs are covered by IDEA funds). A board member expressed concern that because many children have private insurance, the district should ensure appropriate third-party billing, and staff reiterated that Medicaid and IDEA are the usual funding paths in practice.
The motion to approve the consent agenda was made by Mister Brumfield and seconded by Mister Jenkins; the board voted unanimously.
Board action and next steps: The approval formalizes the district’s contracts and funding approach for OT and PT for the coming period. Staff did not present new contract amounts during the discussion; any changes or new vendor contracts will be brought forward as required in future agenda items.
