School groups helping state rework mental health policy after complaints

The proposal also called for schools to improve their staffing ratios of licensed counselors, nurses, social workers and others "to align with nationally recognized ratios."

"That initial policy did come across rather strong," said Bill Hussey, who authored the policy and serves as director of the Exceptional Children Division for the state Department of Public Instruction.

He said the policy was meant to serve as a guide for schools but said it was "mistaken as mandates."

Hussey has been working with the North Carolina School Boards Association and the North Carolina Association for Public Charter Schools to rework the language in the policy. The two groups joined forces last month to oppose the initial draft, saying it amounted to an "unfunded mandate."

"We do continue to have concerns about the policy," Leanne Winner, director of governmental relations for the school boards association, told WRAL News by email last week. "I have shared those with DPI and would like to give them a chance to respond before I go on record with them."

Hussey said he has continued to be in contact with Winner and her group and hopes to find some middle ground.

"(We want to) maintain the integrity of the policy but try to listen to what the concerns were, what the beliefs were ... and adjust it appropriately," he said.

One item Hussey said he would like to keep in the policy is mental health training for all school staff. That drew concerns Wednesday from Amanda Bell, a member of the Rockingham County Board of Education who serves as an adviser on the state board.

"Our schools have been cut to the bare bones," she said. "I don’t know who we could possibly train" to train the rest of the staff.

Bell said her school district has had to cut school nurses and, in some cases, has social workers covering seven schools at a time. If mental health training becomes a requirement, her school district would have to "cut somewhere else to make this happen."

"The people are not there," she said. "(But) this is an admirable effort."

The training would be offered for free with help from the state Department of Health and Human Services, Hussey explained. But Bell said she still had concerns about a training mandate and outlined the way her district has worked to help students with mental health issues.

"We do not neglect any child in that district if we see there is a need," she said. "Could we get a waiver?"

Hussey said he had not contemplated waivers.

"Not everyone has taken the initiative that you have," he said.

Hussey said he is continuing to work on the policy and assured everyone that he heard their concerns.

"We’ll get you a policy I think everyone can live with," he said.