Board hears options after Northwell program gap for younger students; YES program presented as alternative
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Summary
Administrators said Northwell's substance-abuse services start at age 14 and do not accept younger middle-school students; staff proposed the YES program (state- and town-funded) as a no-cost alternative and described flexible program lengths and attendance-based completion reporting.
Speaker 6 updated the board on the district's substance-abuse response options. He said the existing arrangement with Northwell provides assessments and programs but does not serve students under age 14, leaving middle-school students without an in-network reduction option. After meeting with program staff, he described the YES program (based in Brentwood and supported by New York State and the Town of Islip) as a fully funded, no-cost alternative that the district could offer as an option to families.
Speaker 6 described YES as assessment-driven and flexible in length (examples cited included four- or six-week durations depending on student need) and said attendance and completion can be tracked to inform reductions in suspension time. He also said both Northwell and YES encourage parental involvement.
Board members asked whether the district would receive interim evaluations or clinical information on student progress; Speaker 6 said providers could not share protected health information (HIPAA) but that attendance/completion reports are available and the district can be informed when a student starts and completes a program. The discussion concluded with board members expressing support for providing families more options.
No formal action to change vendors or contracts was recorded in the transcript; staff described the YES program as an additional option to be pursued to expand supports for younger students.