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District signs NECCO contract for elementary mental-health services as special-education needs rise
Summary
Forest Hills approved an agreement for NECCO to provide therapists and caseworkers in elementary schools at no charge to the district; administration outlined rising special-education caseload severity and increasing numbers of ESE classrooms.
The Forest Hills board approved, as part of its consent agenda, an agreement with NECCO to provide school-based mental-health services in elementary buildings. The district will host NECCO therapists and a caseworker in elementary schools; administrators said the program is private-insurance based and that the Forest Hills Foundation will help cover services for uninsured families.
Assistant superintendent Rob Fellows and program lead (presenter) said NECCO will deliver therapists into buildings and aims to conduct intakes within a week; administrators said the arrangement is intended to reduce wait times they had seen with the prior provider. NECCO will take private insurance where available and provide limited pro‑bono or foundation‑supported services to students without coverage.
Superintendent Mark Hook and other administrators outlined shifting student needs that underpinned the decision: the district has seen the share of economically disadvantaged students rise from roughly 10% in 2018–19 to 19% and reported a 104% increase in identified autism rates over the last five years. Hook said the district increased ESE (specialized) classrooms from four to nine for the following year and added paraeducator support to meet higher-needs students. The administration framed NECCO as a way to expand therapeutic capacity quickly at the elementary level while the district evaluates longer-term staffing adjustments.
Ending Administrators said they will monitor caseloads, ensure families can access services regardless of insurance status (with foundation support), and report back to the board on implementation and numbers served.
