Obstacles often get in the way of a child’s academic achievements and successes. Emotional well-being and mental health issues are among them.
Hardin County Schools entered into a partnership with Astra Behavioral Health to implement a Bright Path Academy. A contract between the district and Astra was signed following the March 19 Board of Education meeting.
“They offer a program to provide more intense mental health services and behavioral health support services to kids at the elementary school level,” Greg Sutton, chief academic officer. “This is not for middle school or high school.”
Astra currently offers Bright Path Academy programs in the Breckinridge and Bullitt County school districts and is offering the same in Hardin County.
The program, which Sutton hopes will be ready for the 2026-27 school year, will accommodate a maximum of 24 students. The program likely will be set up with spots for 12 kindergarten through second-grade students and 12 third through fifth-grade students.
“We have to grab them when they’re young,” Sutton said. “There’s another reason why it’s an elementary program. If we wait until middle school and high school, it can be too late.”
Learned behaviors, such as cursing and becoming physical with teachers, are seen as early as preschool.
“They either hear it, see it, watch it on their phones, see it at home and then they duplicate it,” Sutton said. “There is no place in the classroom for that type of behavior.”
Before a student can be accepted into the program, criteria must be met, according to the contract. For a student to qualify, the family must have Medicaid or insurance.
Hardin County Schools will not be charged for the services provided by Astra. The company will bill Medicaid and other insurance payers.
Astra Behavioral Health agrees to provide an adequate location, furnishings – student desks, teacher desks, file cabinets and security cameras – all at its expense. The location must be approved by the Board of Education.
Sutton added Astra will renovate the structure as needed to make it ready for classroom use. Hardin County Schools will provide the teacher, instructional assistant, all materials and classroom equipment and any special education services as needed.
HCS Food Service will provide breakfast and lunch and the district will provide transportation for students attending Bright Path Academy, so the best possible scenario would be a central location.
Giving an example of how the day might run, Sutton explained that from 8:30-11:30 a.m., a K-2 class will work through mental and behavioral health services, social skills with qualified professional counselors, while at the same time, grades 3-5 will receive math, reading and science instructions with a teacher.
“In the afternoon, they will flip-flop,” Sutton said. “This is intense support, five days a week, three hours a day, of mental health counseling and behavioral health support. You also get your academic instruction every day as well.”
Kim Adkins, director of student services for HCS, added that Bright Path also offers medication management for students.
Sutton and Adkins have visited the Bright Path Academy in Breckinridge County and found it to be impressive.
“When we were leaving … a family was actually coming in to work with the counselors,” Sutton said.
“Beyond medication, beyond putting them in a program like this, please help us with our parenting and some of our consistency, things we should be doing at home to help our kids be more successful when they go back to the regular school setting,” Sutton added.
Bright Path Academy is not meant to be a temporary placement for a student. Measured, noticeable changes can take from 6 to 9 months in the program, according to school officials.
“It’s not a residential facility,” Adkins said. “The one in Breckinridge County was very nice. It was running like a dream. The kids were engaged, they all looked happy, looked like they were having fun. They did group, individual, and family therapies.”
Adkins, who has experience as a school psychologist, said these types of hybrid programs are very beneficial for children and families. It provides an option other than having to place a child in a residential facility away from parents.
“It’s an option that we haven’t been able to explore before,” Sutton said. “I think it’s worth a shot.”