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Citrus School Board unanimously approves $1.2 million mental-health allocation plan
Summary
The Citrus County School Board unanimously approved the district's 2025'26 Mental Health Assistance Allocation Plan, allocating about $1.2 million (state funds plus rollover) for school social workers, psychologists, training and counselor contracts; board directed monthly oversight of the contracted Mobile Response Team.
The Citrus County School Board on July 29 unanimously approved its 2025'26 Mental Health Assistance Allocation Plan, authorizing the district to spend roughly $1,014,000 in state allocation plus approximately $206,000 in rollover funds to support mental-health services across schools.
Miss Swain, the district's student services presenter, told the board the plan will add two certified school social workers, continue funding two school psychologists, maintain the district program specialist (Holly Hartley) and use LifeStream to provide four counselors under contract. The presenter said the total available for mental-health work is about $1.2 million and emphasized that hires must meet certification requirements for service eligibility.
The plan also funds professional development, including a motivational interviewing training set for Aug. 27 and trauma-informed counseling sessions led by a University of South Florida psychologist, Shannon Sudlow. Officials said the district will formalize a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) for mental-health services and review referral and Baker Act data monthly to track outcomes.
Board members raised concerns about the district's Mobile Response Team (MRT), which provides on-site crisis response. A board member said the MRT had been reported as short-handed at times and that when MRT is unavailable responsibility can fall to school resource officers. Miss Swain said the district had met with MRT supervisors, expects improved responsiveness after a staffing change, and pledged monthly discussions with MRT leadership and LifeStream to ensure contracted services meet students' needs.
Mr. Kennedy moved to approve the mental-health allocation plan and Mr. Feherty seconded; the motion passed on a voice vote. Board members asked for regular reporting on referrals and Baker Act incidents and said the district would monitor the new hires and contractor performance as the school year begins.
The board did not specify individual vote tallies; the approval was recorded as passing by voice vote. Next steps: district staff will proceed with hiring, finalize training schedules and begin monthly oversight meetings with LifeStream and MRT supervisors.
