In the recent week behavioral health supports have changed and are no longer providing essential services for our children. As a behavioral health provider and former teacher,I I have observed schools cutting a students day because the schools can not provide the needed supports. Why this change? It is due to NM medicaid supplement 15-01. This requires all behavioral health services to be provided by the school and billed to medicaid.
The issues that have arose this week because of this change discontinues outside behavioral supports in the school setting. Schools are unable to provide the appropriate services for clients with behavioral needs. A teacher can not spend one on one time with a student who is disrupting the class, a counselor can provide that support but if you are in a school with several hundred students there will be other behavioral needs that also will need to be addressed. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, P.T.S.D, Developmental delays and Attention Deficit issues all require extra support to succeed in a regular classroom. This change will remove private therapists, behavioral management specialists and other additional supports for special needs children. The removal of these services will cause a major violation of PL94-142 that states a child will be placed in the least restrictive environment to succeed in a school setting. Changing a students placement to the most restrictive environment due to a lack of outside supports is unfair to the student, families and the schools. The removal of these services will effect all students in New Mexico. Students will have more classroom disruptions, teachers will spend more time addressing behaviors versus teaching, school budgets will be more costly and the children and their families who need services will be left with no help. PLEASE TELL THE GOVERNOR TO REVERSE THIS CHANGE-OUR CHILDREN MATTER AND SO DOES THEIR EDUCATION. OUR STUDENTS HAVE A RIGHT TO FREE AND APPROPRIATE EDUCATION WHICH THEY ARE BEING STRIPED OF. PLEASE SIGN TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE REVERSAL OF NM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SUPPLEMENT 15-01 VIII.
