Fort Bend ISD will hold a public hearing in March on the district’s mental health centers in order to come into compliance with state law, Superintendent Charles Dupre announced during the Feb. 8 board of trustees meeting.
The Texas Education Code requires school districts to conduct a public hearing when expanding or changing health care services offered by a district, something FBISD previously failed to do, according to district documents. FBISD opened several campus-based mental health clinics beginning in early 2020.
“We did not comply with the state law when we opened the mental health clinics,” Dupre said. “We do need to go back and conduct a public hearing.”
During the Jan. 11 board meeting, trustee Denetta Williams pointed out that the district did not hold the required public hearing on the mental health centers. Dupre acknowledged this at the Jan. 19 meeting, and said the district had contacted the Texas Education Agency to inform them of the oversight. The TEA said there was no consequence for this error as there was opportunity for public comment during board meetings in which the mental health services offered were discussed, Dupre said.
