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Hamilton County board approves MOUs with five school‑based mental‑health vendors after privacy and reporting discussion
Summary
Hamilton County Schools Board approved memoranda of understanding for five recommended vendors to provide school‑based student mental‑health services after clarifying that services will occur during non‑instructional time, parental consent processes, and plans for anonymized utilization reporting that complies with FERPA/HIPAA.
The Hamilton County Schools Board voted Nov. 20 to approve memoranda of understanding with five recommended vendors to provide school‑based mental‑health services, advancing contracts the board said are intended to expand access while protecting student privacy.
Board members debated how the services would operate and what data the district should collect before the vote. Miss Felice, who asked that the item be pulled from the consent agenda for discussion, said the program design specifies services will be offered "during non instructional time, mainly, like, before school, during lunch, after school, study halls," and that the board should require usable utilization metrics from vendors.
Superintendent Dr. Robertson described a two‑part consent and documentation process: district staff will document referrals and parental consent, and vendors must retain consent records and secure additional consent for service changes. "Once they sign consent, do they want us to connect them to the person, or they just gonna connect on their own? And then each vendor has to keep consent as well," Robertson said, explaining how consent and vendor responsibilities would be handled.
Ryan, the student representative on the RFP committee, said the committee had interviewed firms and "feel confident in recommending all 5 because they all have the qualifications necessary to be in the school system." Miss Jones moved to put the recommended vendors back on the consent agenda; Mr. Connor seconded the motion and the board approved the MOUs by roll call.
The board discussion repeatedly framed data reporting as permissible only if it protects student privacy. Board members and staff flagged FERPA and HIPAA limits on personally identifiable information and asked staff to work with vendors to produce anonymized utilization metrics (for example, counts of students served by school and general topics such as grief or anxiety) that can inform future decisions without identifying individuals.
The board approved the MOUs and instructed staff to work with vendors on a reporting approach that fits legal constraints and district needs; the MOUs were publicly recorded as approved at the meeting.
