Concerns raised as Fresno Unified plans to end contracts with mental health providers

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Mental health services for Fresno Unified students will look different next school year as the district has ended its contract with one of its contracted mental health providers.

EDITORS NOTE: After our story aired, Fresno Unified clarified that after their bargaining teams meeting Thursday afternoon, the Fresno Teachers Association is only requesting one contract with Family Foundations will be canceled moving forward. The contract cost is now around $800,000 and severs several of the district's high schools. The district says it will do everything it can to minimize the impact on its students in the upcoming school year.

"Standing in line at Target - the young girl who's the cashier behind the cash register looks up at me and she says, 'Oh my goodness, you're Miss Pearl.' And I'm like 'Yeah.' She comes around and hugs me and she says 'Miss Pearl, you saved my life when I was in middle school.'"

Therapist Pearl Heppner has several stories similar to this one, after more than a decade of providing mental health services to thousands of Fresno Unified students.

That all comes to an end on June 30.

"In April, I received an email from the Department of Prevention and Intervention saying 'Thank you very much for your many years of service, but due to the FTA Union bargaining agreement, we will no longer be contracting with you,'" Heppner said. "That means that 24 school sites next year will not be having a clinician on-site apart from school social workers."

Heppner says she was devastated by the email.

She says she and her 22 clinicians with Family Foundations Counseling Services provided trauma-responsive services to more than 1600 in the district this year.

"242 suicide risk assessments with many of those students being 5150 for their own safety..." Heppner said. "669 meetings, 152 suspected child abuse reports to keep our kids safe. All together - 7,389 direct services to our students just this past year alone."

Visibly emotional, she worries about how this will impact students.

Meanwhile, spokeswoman for Fresno Unified Nikki Henry says, the Fresno Teachers Association Social Workers bargaining unit had concerns about contracting outside services and brought that attention to the school district.

"We believe this is work that should be done by Fresno Unified social workers, and so they brought that to our attention, which is what prompted us having to, you know, pull back on those contracts," Henry said.

The district wants to assure families and teachers there will still be mental health services for students.

"We do have lots of social workers, school social workers, school psychologists, other mental health professionals that are available. What our parents and families might see is that it will take longer for your student to get the support that they need."

Heppner says it's just not enough providers to help so many kids.

"There will be crisis emergencies after emergencies next year," Heppner said.

Heppner plans to speak at the school board meeting on May 24 in protest of the contract termination.

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