TLANTA – State Representative Sandra Scott (D-Rex) recently introduced House Bill 9, legislation which would authorize the state to develop guidelines specifically for mental and behavioral telehealth services for students in Georgia schools.
“Our students have dealt with an unprecedented public health crisis that has left many of them isolated and quarantined at home away from their school community,” said Rep. Scott. “Therefore, it is imperative that we bring a service to the students that can help them cope with anxiety, depression and other mood-altering problems, and that service is telehealth. Providing these innovative and flexible mental health resources is more important than it has ever been.”
House Bill 9 would instruct the Georgia Department of Education (DOE) to consult with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHD) to establish a model policy for mental and behavioral telehealth services in public schools and school-related functions. These guidelines would include qualification requirements for individuals who provide such mental and behavioral telehealth services, legal requirements for parental consent, security measures to protect the confidentiality of students, as well as the potential liability for providing such telehealth services. Further, the DBHDD’s Suicide Prevention Program would assist local schools as they develop their own suicide prevention policies.
For more information on House Bill 9, please click here.
Representative Sandra Scott represents the citizens of District 76, which includes portions of Clayton and Henry counties. She was first elected to the House Representatives in 2010 and currently serves on the Defense & Veterans Affairs, Human Relations & Aging, Legislative & Congressional Reapportionment, Science and Technology and Special Rules committees.
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