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CASPER, Wyo. — On Monday, the Natrona County School District 1 Board of Trustees OK’d a contract with Universal Health Systems and the Wyoming Behavioral Institute to continue providing specialized mental health services and educational support for students.
The $583,315 agreement aims to support students facing significant behavioral challenges by providing targeted interventions through three primary programs, district officials say.
The largest portion of the funding, totaling $423,315, is allocated to the Foundations for Success program. According to a district report, the initiative serves up to 12 students at a time in a highly structured therapeutic classroom located at University Park School. The program will see a team of mental health professionals — including a medical director, psychiatrist and nurse practitioner — provide daily group therapy and weekly individual counseling sessions while assisting with medication management. The program is designed to teach social-emotional learning and coping skills to minimize barriers to academic success, a district memo states.
An additional $100,000 is designated for transition services for homebound students. Under Wyoming law, school districts must offer instruction to students who are hospitalized for more than one week.
The institute’s Pathways school program is accredited to provide academic credits in math, English and health, with certified teachers working with patients for up to four hours per day. The program allows students to continue their education and earn credits that transfer back to their local public schools while they receive psychiatric treatment.
The contract also includes $60,000 for evaluation services. These inpatient evaluations typically last two weeks and focus on specialized areas that school district staff are not equipped to assess. The findings from these evaluations are used to help the district determine the most appropriate programming and services for individual students.
Funding for the agreement will be drawn from the district’s general fund and a special education grant. According to the contract requisition, the partnership is necessary because the institute can provide specialized psychiatric services and therapeutic settings that are not available within the district’s internal resources.
Effectiveness will be measured through parent surveys, student academic performance and the achievement of individual behavioral goals, district officials report.
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