Board OKs Behavioral Health MOU

— Farmington School Board approved a memorandum of understanding with Arisa Health, Inc., a nonprofit behavioral health organization, to provide services for the 2021-22 school year during its July 19 meeting.

Arisa, formed through the merger of Ozark Guidance based in Springdale with three other similar entities across the state, including Counseling Associates of Conway, Mid-South Health Systems of Jonesboro and Professional Counseling Associates of North Little Rock, celebrated its first anniversary on March 1.

The new, larger organization plans to streamline intra-agency collaboration, its collective knowledge and expertise along with shared resources including a data pool from serving what the MOU lists as approximately 10,000 students within the school setting each year.

According to the MOU, Arisa employs 263 school based providers located in 401 schools throughout 82 school districts.

The MOU stipulates the school district maintains the right to refuse to permit any mental health provider to work within the district if the district determines that is not in the best interests of the district, its students or families.

Both parties agreed to abide by the privacy provisions of HIPAA and the 1974 Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) as well as provisions of other applicable laws.

Schools that fail to comply with FERPA by releasing personally identifiable information from a student’s education record without written permission from parents or a student who has reached the age of 18 risk losing federal funding.

FERPA empowers parents and 18- year- old students to inspect and review the student’s education records maintained by the school, request corrections for records they believe to be inaccurate or misleading, halt the release of personally identifiable information, and obtain a copy of the institution’s policy concerning access to educational records.

In the case of disputed records, if the school decides not to amend the record, the parent or 18-yearold student may petition for a formal hearing. After the hearing, if the school still decides not to amend the record, the parent or 18-year-old student has the right to place a statement with the record setting forth his or her view about the contested information.

FERPA loopholes permit disclosure of information from a student’s education record, without consent, to certain parties such as school officials with legitimate educational interests, accrediting organizations, juvenile justice authorities, organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the school; or in the case of transfers to another school, for audit or evaluation purposes, in connection with financial aid, health and safety emergencies, and to comply with a judicial order or subpoena.

The MOU contains a mutual pledge to use good faith efforts to resolve any disputes or issues that may arise and also contains guideline should mediation become necessary.

Ozark Guidance agrees to provide a variety of services including individual, group and family therapy, and Psychoeducation, which can be defined as education in subject areas that serve the goals of the treatment, Crisis Psychotherapy, Behavioral Assistance and other services.

The MOU states Ozark Guidance mental health providers will follow reasonable and known expectations of the school, its personnel and parents regarding when students may be pulled from class to receive services.

Per the agreement, Ozark

Guidance collects statistics, demographic data, survey results and provides reports annually or upon request to the district regarding school based mental health.

Indirect services feature faculty in-service trainings, referrals, parent education, student team staffing, staff meetings, classroom consultation and/or observation and support groups

Ozark Guidance bills Medicaid, private insurance and direct pay, specified in the MOU as “consistently with third party payer, regulatory and organizational fee agreement and payment policies” while also exploring other assistance programs available for qualifying families.” The intensity of school based services may increase as authorized by the client’s payor source when a student is deemed “at-risk for an out of school placement due to behavioral health needs.”

According to the MOU, the district is billed $45 per pupil per day for educational services provided by Ozark Guidance Center/ Therapeutic Day Treament, an affilliate of Arisa Health.

A Therapeutic Day Treatment program will develop a transition plan, which can be adjusted through the communication of concerns to the TDT Program Coordinator, in conjunction with the district when clients are returning to school.

The agreement will be reviewed prior to the 202223 school year.

The board also approved several transfers, an athletic handbook and established an election date for 2022, which will be the date of the preferential primary because it’s an even numbered year.

The board accepted resignations from Leonard Ogden, assistant junior high principal, and Adam Patterson, bus driver; and approved three hires at the junior high: Tina Batlle, child nutrition kitchen manager; Cassy Story, assistant principal, and Courtney Howard, guidance counselor.