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Hardin County Schools outlines mental-health and family services, highlights Dolly Parton Imagination Library
Summary
Director Janee Sutton described district mental-health staffing, partner agencies, crisis training and funding; Superintendent highlighted the Dolly Parton Imagination Library partnership and urged sign-ups and donations to expand enrollment.
Janee Sutton, director of Health & Family Services for Hardin County Schools, gave a detailed departmental update on mental-health services, staffing and community partnerships during the board’s regular meeting.
Sutton said the district’s Health & Family Services team includes school nurses, nurse practitioners, counselors, school psychologists and social-work coordinators. She cited specific figures: 36 counselors, 7 school psychologists, 24 school nurses and 15 licensed therapists placed in schools through partner agencies. Sutton described FRISK (social-work) coordinators and noted that several FRISK staff hold social-work degrees and some are licensed practitioners. She said the district has added two social workers focused on attendance goals and uses social-work interns placed through university partnerships.
The director highlighted crisis-preparedness work, including simulated overdose and emergency-room scenarios involving Hardin County EMTs and medical professionals; she said the district maintains a prepared crisis team. Sutton described a Handle With Care notification process coordinated with the Kentucky State Police to alert school administrators when students have experienced a traumatic event so staff can provide supportive responses.
On funding and partnerships, Sutton credited state KERA-related dollars and described the district’s Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) status while noting a per-qualifying-student figure of $211.23 cited in her remarks. She outlined Cumberland Family Medical’s role providing school nurses and therapists and said district expenditures for some nurse salaries have dropped to approximately 20% of prior levels because partner billing shifted costs.
Sutton reported that, across 10 partner agencies, 1,312 different students received services last year and that Hope Collaborative places 26 volunteer mentors in the district. She also highlighted family-stability work under coordinator Crystal Rice (master’s in social work) and programs that bill a child’s insurance when services are billable.
Separately, in the superintendent’s report, the board heard about the Dolly Parton Imagination Library partnership. The program offers a free book each month for children ages 0–5; the district is partnering with Elizabethtown Independent Schools to promote the program. The superintendent said 33% of eligible children in Hardin County are currently enrolled and encouraged families and donors to sign up and consider a $60 donation to sponsor a child for five years; she said Dolly Parton’s program covers postage and handling.
Board members asked clarifying questions; Sutton and the superintendent detailed partnerships and funding sources rather than proposing new policy changes during this meeting.
