Schools; student mental health; State Department of Education to create a school-based telehealth pilot program; request for proposals; definitions; optional school district participation; reporting to the Legislature; requiring the Department to seek funding; effective date; emergency.
HB1523 would create a school-based telehealth pilot program within the State Department of Education to provide mental health care services to students in participating school districts. The Department would be required to issue a request for proposals and contract with a single telehealth provider that has experience delivering pediatric mental health services in educational settings, can employ Oklahoma-licensed providers, and can bill health carriers and state programs. The bill defines key terms such as telehealth, telehealth provider, mental health care provider, and health carrier, and sets out eligibility standards for vendors seeking to participate.
The program is designed to expand student access to mental health care, especially for uninsured students and minors who consent to treatment. The selected provider would have to offer services free of charge to uninsured students, waive or reimburse cost-sharing, and provide the equipment and platform at no cost to school districts. Participation by school districts would be voluntary, but districts that opt in would have to enter into a contract, provide services at no cost to enrolled students, and cooperate with reporting requirements. The bill also specifies that the telehealth services may not replace existing school-based support staff such as nurses, psychologists, social workers, and counselors.
HB1523 would add a new section to Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes establishing a state-run pilot telehealth program for student mental health. It would authorize the Department of Education to contract with a provider, set vendor qualifications and contract requirements, cap certain program expenditures at up to $22 per participating student plus startup and evaluation costs, and require the Department to seek outside funding before spending program funds. The bill would also require evaluation of the pilot’s effect on access to care and a report to the Legislature by January 15, 2027, including any evidence that participating districts are using the program to supplant existing student support services.
The available vote history suggests mixed to unfavorable committee sentiment at the time of the recorded action. The House Common Education Committee vote on the motion to do pass as amended by committee substitute failed 5-6, indicating the proposal had support from some members but not enough to advance in that form. No committee transcript is available, so the recorded vote is the main indicator of sentiment.
The main points of contention appear to be the role of the state in creating and funding a telehealth mental health program, the requirement that districts not use the program to replace existing school support staff, and the program’s cost structure and vendor selection rules. The bill also imposes detailed requirements on the telehealth provider, including free services for uninsured students, billing authority, and staffing with Oklahoma-licensed providers, which may have raised implementation and administrative concerns. Because the committee vote failed, opposition likely centered on whether the pilot was necessary, affordable, or appropriately structured, though the record provided does not identify specific arguments from individual legislators.