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Board asks staff to review contract after parent says counselor urged student to 'divorce his parents'
Summary
At an informal Hernando County School Board meeting, a board member raised allegations that a counselor from vendor Impact Solutions told a high-school student to pursue emancipation. Board members asked staff to investigate the facts and review the district contract with the vendor.
At an informal meeting of the Hernando County School Board, board member Mr. Johnson said a parent reported that an outside counseling vendor, Impact Solutions of Tampa, advised a high-school student to "divorce his parents," seek a GED and move out — advice the board member called beyond the scope of counseling.
The parent, who asked to remain anonymous, told the board the student has a 504 plan or an individualized education program and is enrolled in an Exceptional Student Center (ESC) program. The parent also told the board that Impact Solutions submitted a nine-page report to the Social Security Administration’s disability review (SSDI) process without having seen the student in person.
The report was denied at first, the parent said, and the family is preparing for the next stage of appeals. Mr. Johnson said the alleged recommendation that the student seek emancipation "goes beyond the scope of counseling," and that the district should consider ending the contract if the allegations are substantiated.
Board members asked staff to gather facts. "I would ask that there be an investigation ... find the truth, and then we can make a better decision," Mr. Pender told the board when discussing next steps. Board members said they have asked Jill Colosso in student services to review whether the district has received prior complaints about the vendor and to examine the contract language that governs the provider’s scope of work.
District staff said the company is a third‑party vendor and that the district will pursue fact‑finding through the vendor as part of any contract review. Board members discussed collecting accounts from the parent, the student and the vendor before deciding whether to terminate the contract.
The board did not take a formal vote during the meeting and directed staff to report back with findings and recommendations.
Ending
District staff will look into prior complaints about Impact Solutions, review the contract used by student services and report factual findings to the board for further action.
