Burrillville committee approves no-cost virtual mental-health MOU with Hazel Health

The Burrillville School Committee voted Jan. 14 to accept a memorandum of understanding enabling parents to access virtual mental-health services through Hazel Health under a statewide Department of Education contract. Superintendent Dr. Slido said the service will be available outside instructional hours and "it's no cost to the parent, no cost to the families, no cost to the district."

The superintendent said Hazel Health is licensed in Rhode Island and that the Department of Education is offering the service for the remainder of this school year and the next, with continued funding to be reassessed. "We are not going to provide any data to Hazel Health unless a student and a parent sign up and take part in the service," he said, addressing data-privacy concerns raised by committee members.

Committee members asked whether the services would be face-to-face or virtual (the superintendent replied they are virtual) and whether there was a cap on participation (he said there is no limit). One member asked whether the district might face costs after the pilot; Dr. Slido said the Department of Education would reassess funding after the period and the district would not automatically be responsible for ongoing costs.

If approved by the committee, the superintendent said he will coordinate with Hazel Health and building principals to set up a liaison process and referral protocol for families who choose to participate. The committee voted by voice to accept the arrangement with the caveat that district-level automated access to student records would not be granted without parental consent.