SE Valley Times

A member of the public and one board member objected to the Mesa School District Governing Board's attempt at a recent board meeting to approve a contract with an outside vendor for school counseling services without comment or public discussion. 

The board removed the item from the consent calendar after member Rachel Walden objected, but later, after hearing public comment, approved it by vote.

The district governing board said it had entered into a one-year contract with Brain Solutions to provide counseling services at Poston Junior High and Wilson Elementary School, possibly moving into Madison Elementary if the need arises. Brain Solutions is a nonprofit in Arizona that offers therapy and behavioral assistance for children and adults, according to Brain Solutions' website. 

Items on the consent agenda are considered routine or not controversial.

"Under our own administrative content given by the state, I do not believe that this qualifies as a consent agenda item," Walden said during the meeting, "so I would like an explanation about that and why this would qualify."

A parent, Catherine Glauser, who said she has had six children go through the Mesa Public School system, expressed shock that the governing board would even consider entering into a contract with an outside group for counseling without discussion with parents. Glauser spoke about her background with counseling, both in finding a good counselor when she was a student and again when her husband died a few years ago. Familiarity and knowledge of the patient are important parts of mental healthcare, Glauser said, so she did not understand why a new vendor was being brought in unannounced.

“So you're going to put a counselor that parents don't know about at a school, pull kids without their parental consent," she said. "You can't even guarantee that counselor is going to be good for that child." She said the board's policies will cause the district “to lose children by the droves," and urged the board to make future decisions with more parental involvement.

Board President Marcie Hutchinson argued that the service would be voluntary and would require written consent from parents. 

“So this is totally based on parent permission. It is a voluntary program," she said. "We have a number of nonprofits in Mesa who provide mental health services for our children on a voluntary basis. Many times, parents can't afford this type of help, and we provide that assistance to families when needed.”

The district will provide space for Brain Solutions to hold sessions with students, but the district will not be involved financially. Brain Solutions will be responsible for collecting fees for its service.

After Walden protested, the other board members voted to approve the contract without further discussion among them.