Lakeland considers policy for outside counselors

The policy committee for the Lakeland Joint School District met Wednesday and workshopped new rules for students to meet counselors on district campuses.

The board of trustees voted 3-2 April 20 to allow Heritage Health counselors to meet clients on campuses, reducing logistical burdens on parents.

Board Chair Michelle Thompson and Vice Chair Ramona Grissom voted against the agreement, citing the lack of parental control.

Thompson and Grissom, in collaboration with others, then wrote a policy draft dictating the process for meetings.

“The policy can help ensure that the school district is equipped to provide effective mental health services and support to its students,” the team wrote.

District guidance counselors are not typically equipped to offer clinical counseling and will refer disruptive students beyond their expertise to a counselor.

“The district may collaborate with local mental health programs and services to meet the needs of students,” the policy draft stated under the subhead "district expectations." “The district and local mental health providers shall not provide gender-affirming care options or gender-affirming counseling as mandated by Idaho Statute.”

The policy draft, and specifically the gender-affirming care and counseling clause, will be reviewed by district attorney Amy White to ensure it aligns with Idaho's new Vulnerable Child Protection Act. Passed into law earlier this year, it goes into effect Jan. 1, 2024. It prohibits gender mutilation under child protection.

“If we have a child that is struggling with gender identity, we’re saying they won’t be eligible for counseling?” said Craig Wirtz, a parent who attended the committee meeting.

“I think that is against the district policy, and the law itself,” Grissom said.

Wirtz asked why the policy does not simply say the provider should follow all Idaho laws. He added that prohibiting gender-related counseling could be seen as an overreach by the district having input on the counseling relationship.

“We’ll never tell a parent what to do with a child,” Grissom said. “But what we’re saying is, ‘Here’s what the district will be liable for and will not be liable for.’”

The policy will likely be reviewed a final time in a committee meeting June 28 and probably go before the board for approval July 10.

If approved, it would require the contracted mental health provider, currently Heritage Health, to outline criteria for selecting students and fingerprint counselors annually.

Parents would have to complete an application through the district and sign an acknowledgment of relevant district policies.

“All mental health providers shall adhere to LJSD policies,” the team wrote under mental health provider requirements. That includes the district’s new gender policy, which requires students to use school facilities based on biological sex at birth and prohibits discussions based on gender or sexuality without involving a parent.

“We’re trying to educate parents what their rights are,” Thompson said.

The new policy would require procedures for district staff to address student mental health concerns.

Under the current protocol, a parent will be given a list of counselors if their student is struggling and school resources aren’t helping.

“Who is choosing who goes?” Thompson said. “It's the counselors. And in the same breath the counselors aren’t qualified to choose.”

Although later she said: “I don’t agree with the fact that we are picking and choosing who is going to benefit from the services that we are now providing. I think that Heritage Health should give referral requirements for students that they’re willing to take. And I think that the district is potentially opening itself up.”

Heritage Health’s team selects students from a waitlist based first on acuity and then first come first serve, clinical school-based lead therapist Sierra Swick said.

“When the counselors give our referral, they will typically give several referrals,” Swick said. “We can’t even receive the student's name without a release of information from the parent.”

Parents then call a counselor of their choice and apply. Not all students are eligible for counseling through Heritage Health, which is a nonprofit.

“Picking and choosing students based on insurance coverage makes it look like a dollars-driven service and not a service-driven service,” committee member Nate DePutter said. He attended the policy meeting and contributed ideas to the working draft.

The counselors do find working with students personally gratifying, Swick said, and benefit from the efficiency of meeting students on campus, but it's a challenging hurdle in some ways.

“We’re only dealing with 1% of students and usually they're pretty high-acuity,” she continued. “They’re typically dysregulated. We are there to remove barriers to access.”