Board committee OKs EC contract increases, staff outlines expansion of school mental-health programs

At the Student Support Services committee, staff requested and the committee approved increases to special-education (EC) contracted services to cover evaluations and direct supports that the district currently outsources because of workforce shortages. Staff described adding part‑time and contract PT, SLP and VI services to address vacancies and a larger demand for assessments.

Board members raised concerns about vendor sourcing and whether some contractors are based out of state. Staff said they use local companies when available but sometimes must contract with larger, multi‑state firms to find scarce specialists; they also said local contractors are included where possible. The committee approved a local contract for Refine, a Fayetteville-area company, for speech-language pathology services (approximately four therapists, one on-site) at a not-to-exceed amount of $150,000.

In a broader update, student services presented district mental-health data: the district logged hundreds of crisis de-escalation events, over 200 emergency interventions, hundreds of suicide risk assessments and thousands of individual counseling sessions this school year. Staff highlighted expansion of School Behavioral Health to all schools via Hazel Health telehealth and announced a Stephen & Cohen Clinic placement (20 hours/week) at District 7 for a military-connected population. Staff also reported continued year‑4 funding for a multi-million-dollar federal grant that supports interns, professional learning and school-based mental health staffing.

Motions to approve the EC contract increases and the Refine contract were made and seconded on the record during the committee meeting.