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Palm Springs Unified presents behavioral health model, says wellness centers have served almost 13,000 students this year
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Summary
The district presented a first-read model policy required under SB 153 that codifies a three-tier behavioral health system, expands wellness centers and enables billing under the Children's and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative to sustain staff and services.
Laura Musil, the district's executive director of student support services, told the Palm Springs Unified School District board on March 24 that the district will present a new behavioral health board policy (cited in the presentation as board policy 51 41.5) to align with state law and expand student access to mental health services.
Musil outlined a three-tier model: universal prevention and social-emotional learning at every school, targeted group supports (tier 2) such as grief or anger-management groups, and intensive one-on-one therapy and crisis response (tier 3). She said the district moved from serving roughly 430 students annually before 2023 to "serving almost 13,000 students just this year to date," and described screening and referral tools including the Panorama survey and mental-health screeners using PHQ-9 and GAD instruments.
The presentation explained how Palm Springs Unified participates in the state's Children's and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI) and may bill managed-care plans for eligible services. "We're able to bill Kaiser. We get to bill IEHP. We get to bill Molina," Musil said, describing reimbursement as a way to sustain positions, wellness centers and prevention specialists. She added that insurance disclosure by parents is voluntary and that "no student is denied for services based on their insurance."
Musil cited program outcomes the district monitors: a decline in chronic absenteeism and suspension rates at schools with wellness centers, and lower suspension rates in elementary schools that have wellness centers. She also listed grants and revenue supporting the work: roughly $9,000,000 in grants over the last three years, about $4,000,000 in annual billing revenue from student services, and more than $300,000 received in CYBHI reimbursements so far this school year.
Board members and students asked about access, stigma and follow-up. Musil said secondary wellness centers are open all day, and elementary students access services via teachers coordinating with the centers. She described a triage process and a short intake assessment given to visitors, and noted the district uses wellness coaches, prevention specialists, social workers, mental-health therapists, school psychologists and interns to staff services.
Why it matters: the proposed policy is the district's formal alignment with SB 153 and a statewide expectation that districts adopt a model behavioral-health policy. Musil said adoption (the administration framed the item as an information/first-read this evening) is required by the state and must be renewed every five years. The policy and administrative regulation will set referral pathways, family and community outreach, staff training and reporting procedures.
Next steps: Musil said the district will return in May with an update on the mental-health screeners and continue implementation work; the board will review the new policy and associated administrative regulation as part of the formal adoption process required by state law.
