Board revises Policy 6.3 on mental‑health services; members debate state guidance and legal risk

The Baldwin County Board of Education approved a revision to Board Policy 6.3 addressing parental opt‑in for mental‑health services, after an extended discussion about wording, legal compliance and counselors’ ability to act.

S8 presented the revised policy language and explained the recommended edits. S7 said the revisions were made to remove explicit references to "mental health" and to ensure that instruction, advisement and "occasional interventions" are not treated as opt‑in requirements; S7 said the edits narrow prior language derived from guidance provided by Dr. Mackey (SEG 299-307).

Several board members questioned the change. S5 said the revised language "is not in line with the language of the law" and expressed concern that removing explicit references could create a mismatch with statutory or guidance language (SEG 282-286). S7 cautioned that the state department of education could interpret guidance differently in the future and, in a worst case, could tie compliance to funding, advising caution (SEG 343-349). Other board members asked for clarification on what "occasional interventions" means in practice and whether counselors would have necessary discretion under the new policy (SEG 316-326, 377-381).

S7 said changes were made based on requests at the prior work session to remove some wording. S6 and others emphasized that counselors had expressed concerns about being unable to perform their roles without some policy change. The board approved the revised policy as amended and referenced the agenda exhibit for final policy text.

Because the transcript contains discussion but not the full policy text or the state guidance document, the public record of the agenda exhibit and any state guidance cited should be consulted for precise language and compliance details.