Hunterdon Central board ends two external mental‑health contracts; administration to hire in‑house clinician

Hunterdon Central Regional High School District board members and administrators described a series of changes to student mental‑health supports during the public meeting, saying the district has ended a relationship with School Based Youth Services and declined to move forward with a renewed contract for CarePlus.

The board president said the decision to end the district's relationship with School Based Youth Services was made by the administration after months of attempts to address contractual concerns. "The administration made the decision to terminate the relationship and did not recommend that the district enter a new contract with school based youth services," the president said during her report. She added that while those services were provided at no direct cost to the district, the contract "left the district exposed to potential liability and litigation based on the conduct of individuals over which the board had no control."

In her superintendent report, district leadership said the administration has since partnered with NJ4S (New Jersey Safe and Sound / NJ4S) to provide three tiers of no‑cost mental‑health services to students: Tier 1 (universal prevention and school‑wide programming), Tier 2 (small group interventions), and Tier 3 (individualized counseling with community linkage). The superintendent also said the district will post a job for a full‑time mental‑health clinician to work with the most at‑risk students and coordinate with the counseling and child study teams; a candidate recommendation is expected next month.

The board cited several concerns when rejecting the CarePlus renewal, including questions about contractual oversight, incomplete budget documentation (the board requested the maximum budget amount per board policy 01/1977), and a noted increase in external service costs — the president said those services "have also increased by over 25% over the course of 4 years." Board members emphasized a preference for developing in‑house capacity where feasible and complying with applicable laws and board policy before entering external contracts.

Several public commenters challenged the decision. Licensed mental‑health professionals and parents warned that replacing established, in‑school providers risked leaving students without timely clinical care and could create access barriers for families in rural parts of the district. "By eliminating these programs despite public outcry ... you're showing the students and the community that their needs are not a priority for this board of education," one licensed social worker said during public comment. Another teacher and board supporter urged caution, saying, "If a child falls through that hole while we strive to fill it, we'll know some people who could have done better."

District leaders responded that NJ4S offers a broad menu of evidence‑based programs and that the planned in‑house hire will focus on intensive cases; they said NJ4S will provide Tier 1 and Tier 2 services while the district develops internal capacity for higher‑need students. The superintendent also stated the intent to prioritize transparency and to bring a formal candidate recommendation to the board at the next meeting.

What happens next: the district will post the job for the clinician, continue its partnership with NJ4S for the tiered services described, and present a candidate for board consideration in an upcoming meeting. Public commenters repeatedly urged the board to restore or continue comprehensive in‑school clinical services in the interim.