Fort Frye local schools focus on mental health
Fulltime licensed therapists and case workers to be placed in schools
BEVERLY – Fort Frye Local Schools will see a five-fold increase of mental health, therapeutic and case worker services for its students in the coming year.
A new contract with Life and Purpose Services approved by the Board of Education Monday will result in the placement of two fulltime licensed professional therapists and three fulltime therapeutic behavior support specialists – more commonly called case workers – in schools.
The increase in resources for children and their families in need of help was made possible by a grant from the state under a special appropriation initiated by Gov. Mike DeWine in the 2019-20 state budget, Superintendent Stephanie Starcher said.
“I am so excited about this,” Starcher said. “Sometimes we’re quick to criticize the General Assembly or the governor, but this is something they got right. They listened to the public and the community, who were saying that kids have so many issues that impact their ability to learn.”
Teachers in recent years have been overwhelmed by behavioral and psychological difficulties their students exhibit, some of which are attributed to difficulties at home caused by the opioid crisis. Fort Frye last year contracted with L&P to place one full-time therapist in schools, but she was quickly booked to capacity.
“She didn’t have enough room on the schedule, and we knew we needed a second therapist,” Starcher said.
The services, which include two therapists and three case workers who will have offices in the schools, will cost the district $162,000. Students or family who are referred to ongoing therapy outside school with L&P will be billed through insurance, Medicaid or private pay.
The case workers, who coordinate services with students and their families, will have offices in the high school, Beverly-Center Elementary, and one assigned to Salem-Liberty and Lowell elementary schools. The two therapists will be split among grades, with one serving kindergarten through sixth grade students and the other serving students in seventh through 12th grade, Starcher said.
“This is one of the best proposals for wrap-around services you could possibly get,” Starcher said.
“This is wonderful,” board member Stephanie Lang said.
After the meeting, L&P president Doug Pfeifer said the expansion of services reflects both need and changing attitudes. L&P now provides mental health therapy to students in five of Washington County’s six school districts.
“We can teach kids who are struggling with these issues that mental health is a part of all of us,” he said. “It also gives us a chance to rethink our approach to discipline and get us off this path of exclusion.”
Pfeifer said the sole therapist in Fort Frye schools last year had between 50 and 60 students. Adding a therapist and three case workers will give the district much greater flexibility in how it uses the L&P professionals, he said.
“The options are really endless, there aren’t any restrictions,” he said.
Adding to the resources will allow therapists not only to serve new students but also to give increased attention to students they already are serving, he said.
“For some of them, one hour a week is just not enough,” he said.
In addition to providing repeat counseling sessions, the therapists will be on hand for students who are just having a difficult moment and need some help, he said.
In other business, the board:
¯ Received updates about the activities of several committees, including those working on facilities review and master planning, policy, and buildings and grounds.
¯ Discussed difficulties with the local water supply, which has been discolored from sediment in the community water tank. Starcher said water for drinking and cooking has been brought into schools and the drinking fountains have been shut off. Board member Lloyd Booth said the water has been deemed safe by the EPA, despite being unattractive and unpleasant to drink. The community water utility is searching for a solution, he said.
The next meeting of the board will be held 6 p.m. Sept. 25 at Lowell Elementary School.
Michael Kelly can be contacted at mkelly@mariettatimes.com.