Plumas Charter School is strengthening its commitment to student well-being by participating in a statewide initiative aimed at expanding access to mental and behavioral health services on campus.
The Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI), a new California program, provides funding to schools to support mental health providers such as registered nurses, therapists and wellness coaches. For PCS, this program comes at a critical time. In recent years, the school was able to offer counseling and behavioral health support through short-term grants, but that funding is expiring.
Today, PCS has three providers on staff: a full-time therapist intern who reports to a licensed therapist supervisor, a wellness coach and a registered nurse who can provide assessments and other behavioral and medical support services. The school can also coordinate online therapy for students. All three PCS sites have access to these resources. In recent school years, as many as 60–70 students across three sites have relied on in-school mental health services.
Funding for these positions currently is made possible through a patchwork of state and local programs. Plumas County Behavioral Health covers the salaries of two providers through the Mental Health Services Act grant. The school covers the rest of the expenses through its local control funding.
With the new CYBHI program, PCS will be reimbursed by Medi-Cal for qualifying students and can also bill most private insurance companies—making it essential for families to provide the school with insurance information. To implement CYBHI, PCS will use a secure billing system called Qualifacts, which works with the initiative to bill student insurance. The school has contracted a third-party company to manage billing support for two years while PCS staff learn the process, with the goal of eventually handling billing internally. Families are being asked to provide a copy of their medical insurance card at the start of the school year to ensure services can begin without unnecessary delays.
Importantly, there is no direct cost to families. PCS does not handle money in this process, and services are confidential. When support is requested, a referral will be created by staff and shared with the parent for approval. California law also allows students age 12 and older to seek certain services without parental notification under Assembly Bill 665.
Students who received therapy services during the 2024-25 school year will not be automatically re-enrolled. Families wishing to continue or begin services in 2025-26 are encouraged to contact PCS Wellness Coach and MTSS Lead Rhonda Wayson at [email protected].
The launch of CYBHI represents a promising step forward for PCS and its students. By ensuring consistent access to behavioral health support, the school is not just responding to immediate needs—it is investing in the long-term well-being and success of its community.