District to partner with Hazel Health to expand counseling and translated teletherapy

A board member praised the district's decision to contract with Hazel Health to expand access to mental-health services for students and families. Superintendent Reclerc said the relationship grew from a grant awarded to Hazel Health and that the vendor's services will be provided to district families at no direct cost.

"Hazel Health was the recipient of a fairly large grant and reached out to us," Superintendent Reclerc said, adding that the service is "coming to us free of charge for our families and our students." The superintendent said Hazel Health can increase access to counselors who provide translated services and will be used to expand offerings for multilingual learners when in-person county resources are not available.

Reclerc stressed the district is not replacing in-person county counseling. "We are not breaking any relationships with county counselors and in person counseling first and foremost," she said. Instead, Hazel Health will supplement existing resources and provide an option when other services are not available.

The board thanked staff members credited with cultivating the partnership. No vote or contract details were recorded in the meeting excerpt; the superintendent credited district staff by name for outreach and said the program will be integrated as a districtwide resource.

Next steps: administration will work with Hazel Health to implement services and inform families about availability and how translated support will be accessed.