Board OKs school-based clinic

Mental health services will soon be available at local schools.

Jay School Board on Monday approved a memorandum of understanding with Meridian Health Services for providing on-site behavioral health services via a school-based behavioral health clinic.

The memorandum with Meridian establishes a school-based behavioral clinic to be staffed by a licensed clinical behavioral therapist, a skills builder and a support staffer beginning next month and continuing through Dec. 31, 2025. It would then automatically renew for one-year periods unless either party would provide written notice at least 60 days in advance.

Services to be provided include mental health screening and counseling, psycho-social assessments, crisis intervention, one-on-one, family and group therapy, psychiatric medication management, mental health and substance abuse interventions, health campaigns, peer health education, health fairs and classroom education. The clinic, which will be predominantly funded through Medicaid and private insurance, will be based at Jay County Junior-Senior High School but provide services as needed to elementary schools as well.

Parental consent is required for any services provided to students younger than 18.

Board members had raised a variety of questions about the proposed clinic over the last two meetings, including regarding liability, malpractices, access to birth control, adjustment of medications, communication with primary care physicians and procedures that would be followed if a student presented as suicidal. Adjustments were made to the memorandum in an attempt to address concerns that were raised.

Jay Schools superintendent Jeremy Gulley has advocated for the clinic, noting that since 2019 there have been 25 reports of suicidal ideation and 30 reports of cutting or self-harm through the school corporation’s anonymous reporting system. (State law requires that school corporations partner with a mental health care provider, though there is flexibility as to the details of the partnership.)

Board members Ron Laux, Donna Geesaman, Phil Ford and Vickie Reitz approved the agreement with Meridian. Jason Phillips, Chip Phillips and Marcie Vormohr were absent from the meeting.

The board was also presented with a proposed policy change regarding searches as well as updates to the junior-senior high and elementary school handbooks.

Current policy states that searches of a student must be conducted and witnessed by a person of the same biological gender as the student.

If approved, the changes would require that:

•two individuals be present for any search.

•the individual conducting the search be of the same biological gender as the student.

•an administrator or their designee be present for any search to ensure that board policies are being followed.

The board plans to vote on the policy change and the handbooks at its May 15 meeting.

In other business, the board:

•Reviewed an audit report from CliftonLarsonAllen, an accountancy firm, that indicated one finding that required corrective action and two audit comments. The corrective action was needed because construction costs were not paid at prevailing wage for a project that involved federal funds. Other notes were regarding a financial report being turned in late and students not supplying required proof of age (birth certificate).

•Approved the following: the hiring of Garrett Cagle as director of facilities and maintenance to take over the retiring Mark Myers; awarding the contract for replacement of siding on the south side of the upper gym area to Mid-States Concrete and General Construction (Redkey) at a cost of $248,500; the retirements of attendance officer Bruce Phillips, junior-senior high school biomedical teacher Lisa Wood and East Jay Elementary School sixth grade teacher Kim Bye; a renewal of a food service management contract with Chartwells with a 7% increases in costs for the 2023-24 school year; extracurricular assignments including West More as junior high football coach; service contracts with Curtis and Livers (Plainfield) for special education consulting and Anointed Hands (Indianapolis) for a sign language interpreter; field trips for junior-senior high science, FFA, band, German, Spanish and soil judging students; an $873.75 grant from The Portland Foundation for Redkey Elementary teachers to purchase phonics materials; and a $320.79 grant from Jay County Solid Waste Management District for Redkey second grade teacher Natalie Corcoran to purchase stuffed animals made from recycled water bottles.

•Heard a comment from Desire Ballard, who has a daughter in Jay Schools, regarding concerns about dress code violations she feels are unwarranted. Gulley invited her to set up a meeting with him to discuss the issue.

•Accepted resignations, including junior-senior high science teacher Richard Cox.

•Was presented with the financial report that shows positive cash flows of $102,656 in the education fund and $97,792 in the operation fund through March 31.

•Heard presentations regarding the various programs offered at John Jay Center for Learning and the junior-senior high school’s career and technical education pathways.