Local provider proposes in‑school therapy partnership that would bill insurance, officials say no district cost

Megan Sleus, founder of Hive Counseling and a licensed clinical social worker, proposed a partnership in which Hive clinicians would establish satellite counseling offices at each Oxford school to provide individual, evidence‑based therapy billed direct to families’ insurance. Sleus said the model would require "zero cost to the district" beyond a confidential room and a working phone line.

Under the proposal, schools would complete a referral form, obtain parental consent for services and releases where needed, and Hive would manage scheduling, documentation and insurance billing. Services would comply with HIPAA and FERPA; Hive would provide de‑identified outcome data to the district on request and would include continuity-of-care arrangements through Hive’s local offices during school breaks.

Sleus said clinicians could accept Medicaid and major commercial insurers and that Hive already receives referrals from the district’s counseling staff; she added that Hive has a hub in Oxford and satellite offices in neighboring towns. Board members asked about access for uninsured families, communication and information‑sharing with school staff, capacity planning, and measures of success. Sleus said Hive can help families obtain insurance or connect them with care coordinators and that success would be measured by number of children served and collaborative outcomes discussed in regular meetings with school staff.

Board members asked follow-up questions about privacy, whether services duplicate existing district assessments, and how the district would manage competing vendor proposals. No contract or formal agreement was approved at the workshop; the proposal will be discussed further with administrators and return to the board as needed.