Students in Warren County School District may soon have greater access to mental health professionals, thanks to participation in a pilot program.

Members of the school board's Curriculum, Instruction and Technology Committee supported a proposal for the program at a recent meeting.

Director of Secondary Education Amanda Hetrick said the district was chosen based on its remote location by the Community Care Behavioral Health Organization.

The location means students have less choice and access to available services, Hetrick said.

"With a looming reduction in the number of approvals for Therapeutic Support Staff services, the district and families need to be prepared to work together to support students," she said.

The proposal states the program would entail CCBH hiring a Master's Level Therapist to supervise a team of five to six mental health professionals to support 20 to 25 students in the school buildings and their homes.

The model has been tried and proven in the eastern part of the state, Hetrick said, and the CCBH was looking for a location to begin using the model in the western part of the state.

"Through the efforts of many local community professionals in mental health services and related fields, Warren County came to the forefront as a promising location," she said.

The proposal stated the program would begin at Warren Area Elementary Center and Beaty-Warren Middle School.

To determine the starting locations for the program, Hetrick said the administration considered data from the CCBH and the district regarding number of referrals to behavioral and mental health agencies, number of students and families who have accessed supportive services both in and out of school and input from the principals and guidance counselors.

WAEC and BWMS met the need criteria and were also geographically close so that one team of mental health professionals could cover both buildings, Hetrick said.

Hetrick said the district will be a partner with CCBH to support their running a program for students and families using space in district buildings.

The team of mental health professionals will provide support as needed to students, Hetrick said.

"These same folks will also be working with the families outside of the school setting to provide interventions and therapy as needed," she said.

The program will greatly increase the communication between the agency, the home and the school so that all parties are working together to provide a consistent message using common methods to teach appropriate behavior to students and to help them be successful, Hetrick said.

The administration is still learning about the process and will have better information down the road, Hetrick said.

"We brought this to the board now so that if the board had any concerns about our involvement with the program they could be expressed and hopefully resolved early on in the process," she said.

The CCBH has issued a request for proposal which is due in early November to see if there are providers in the area who are ready and willing to provide this service, Hetrick said.

CCBH Clinical Manager Kate Nicholson said there is a competitive bid process to select a qualified provider.

The CCBH will use assessment tools to evaluate how a youth enrolled in the program is functioning at school and at home, Nicholson said. This will include looking at a youth's grades and attendance.