Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Mental Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Perkiomen Valley committee hears Kooth app pitch and presses vendor on consent, alerts
Summary
Kooth presented its youth mental-health app to the Perkiomen Valley Wellness Committee; the vendor said the platform is free to districts and families and uses pre-moderated forums and after‑school text counseling, while board members pressed for clarity on parental consent, clinician credentials and notification protocols for self‑harm.
Kooth representative Robin Posner Cohen outlined the company’s student mental‑health platform and app during the Perkiomen Valley Wellness Committee meeting, saying the service is funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services and is available “at no cost to the school district, no cost to the family.”
The presentation and subsequent questions centered on access, moderation and emergency response. Posner Cohen described a three‑tier model of tools and services: self‑guided resources such as affirmations and coping exercises; a pre‑moderated anonymous forum reviewed by clinicians before posts go live; and text‑based counseling sessions available after the school day.
Why it matters: Committee members said the app could expand access for students who find it difficult to seek help in person, but they pressed Kooth on how the platform would intersect with existing school safety protocols and family notification rules.
Posner Cohen said sign‑ups begin at 13 and that the app contains a parental‑consent workflow for 13‑year‑olds. “If a young person is 13, we do have a parental consent workflow built into the app,” she said, describing an emailed PDF consent form required before a student that young can book a counseling session. For students 14 and older, Posner Cohen said Kooth follows Pennsylvania’s age‑of‑consent rules and would notify the district rather than automatically notifying a parent unless clinicians judge the risk to be imminent.
Board members repeatedly sought clarity about timing and contact protocols for safety flags. Jason Sailor, a school board member, pressed the company on when and who would be alerted if a student reported self‑harm after hours. Posner Cohen said the vendor’s clinicians would flag imminent risk and that Kooth would contact the district’s designated emergency contact; school staff would then follow district policies for further action. “We alert the school district,” she said. “If they’re 13, we do alert the parent as there is that Pennsylvania state law about parental consent.”
Staff and board members also asked about clinician credentials and moderation. Posner Cohen said counselors on the platform hold Pennsylvania licensure (LCSW, LSW or equivalent) or are working toward licensure under clinical supervision. She emphasized that the forum is pre‑moderated by mental‑health practitioners, not automated AI.
What’s next: The committee did not take an immediate vote. Members asked administration to gather follow‑up details — including contract/indemnification language, escalation timelines, how parental consent would be documented, and whether a model that made parents direct emergency contacts was feasible — and promised to send additional questions to the vendor ahead of any future recommendation to the board.
