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Prince Edward County schools to launch 24/7 telehealth mental‑health service Dec. 1; board to monitor pilot
Summary
The school board approved a plan to launch a telehealth partnership with vendor You Will on Dec. 1 to provide same‑day therapy, 24/7 crisis counseling and prevention tools for K–12 students; board members pressed staff on access, parental consent for younger children and whether local Fulcrum counselors will continue.
Prince Edward County Public Schools plans to launch a telehealth mental‑health pilot with the vendor You Will on Dec. 1 to give K–12 students same‑day access to licensed providers, 24/7 crisis support and prevention programming, district staff told the school board.
Miss McClure, who presented the plan to the board, described four components: UMatch (same‑day scheduling with licensed clinicians), UHelp (24‑hour crisis support that the presenter said connects students to counselors in under a minute), YouRise (wellness and prevention) and YouCollaborate (administrative dashboards). She said the vendor and program were vetted by the Virginia Department of Education and approved by the state Board of Education, and identified local contacts for the rollout including Amy Griffin and Elizabeth Shane and the Virginia relationships manager, Adam Ring. “We are truly excited about this partnership and the positive impact it will have on the mental health and well‑being of our students,” McClure said.
Board members pressed staff for details about how the service will work for younger students, what happens when families lack devices or transportation, and whether the vendor’s staffing and response‑time claims can be independently verified. McClure said parents or guardians must provide consent for students younger than 14 and be present for the first session. She said follow‑ups are built into You Will’s protocol at 48 hours and again at 30 days.
Several board members asked whether the telehealth service replaces existing in‑person providers. Superintendent Doctor Jones clarified that the district currently has funding for Fulcrum counselors through February and that maintaining Fulcrum beyond that period would cost roughly $60,000; she said the district would explore audit turnbacks or county contributions to continue in‑person counseling if feasible. “I’d rather have something in place than nothing,” Jones said, summarizing staff’s approach to ensuring continuous student access.
The board agreed to begin the You Will pilot Dec. 1, invite vendor representatives to present in person or virtually, and receive a progress update at the February meeting to review usage, outcomes and accessibility challenges.
What’s next: the pilot launch is scheduled for Dec. 1; staff will monitor performance and report back to the board in February.
