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Talbot County schools plan telehealth access policy under new state law; questions remain on devices, privacy and logistics
Summary
Talbot County Public Schools staff presented Policy 10.28 to implement House Bill 522, saying the district will provide private space and generally expect students to use district-issued devices for telehealth appointments, with loaner devices and limited exceptions available.
Talbot County Public Schools staff presented a new policy and administrative regulation, Policy 10.28, to implement House Bill 522 and provide students access to telehealth platforms during the school day.
The proposal, presented by Darlene Spurrier, described the district’s interpretation of the state law as requiring schools to provide a private space and access to an online telehealth platform, not to assume responsibility for running appointments or complying with HIPAA beyond offering privacy. “We are responsible for offering them access to a telehealth platform, which means that we need to provide them with a space,” Spurrier said. She added the district prefers that students use Talbot County Public Schools–issued devices for security; a loaner device would be provided only when required by a care provider and with advance notice.
Board members asked for clarity on whether the district must supply devices or only space. Spurrier repeated that the district will provide a space and said the county’s preference is that students use school-issued devices; technology will supply loaner devices as needed with coordination and the 10-day advance-notice process. She added principals may waive the 10-day notice “in extenuating circumstances” at their discretion.
Several board members raised concerns about privacy and confidentiality of appointment requests. Spurrier said applications for telehealth appointments will go to school administrators and that the district will work with principals over the summer on handling application forms confidentially (for example, sealed envelopes) so information does not become broadly available in a school office.
The proposal specifies that school nurses are not responsible for running telehealth appointments beyond providing a private space. Spurrier said the district will not assume HIPAA obligations in lieu of the care provider, and that staff are not expected to implement appointments beyond enabling access.
Other operational questions included whether headsets could be provided to improve privacy; staff said they would evaluate availability and discuss with technology staff. The district also plans to keep annual records of telehealth use in Student Services to be able to respond to any state requests for data.
No formal vote on Policy 10.28 was recorded at the June 9 work session; staff indicated the policy will appear for formal approval at a future meeting.
