Mental Health Services in Rhode Island IEPs
What mental health services are available through an IEP in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island provides mental health-related services to students with disabilities through the special education framework and through state agency coordination. Mental health services relevant to special education include counseling services, psychological services, and social work services as IDEA-defined related services (34 CFR 300.34). When a student's disability involves emotional or behavioral needs (including Emotional Disturbance as a disability category), the IEP team must address mental health needs through appropriate related services, behavioral intervention plans, and, where applicable, coordination with outside agencies. Rhode Island has interagency agreements between RIDE, the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF), and the Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals (BHDDH) to coordinate mental health services for students. DCYF administers the Children's Behavioral Health system and is the primary interagency partner for school-age children, while BHDDH primarily serves adults. School-based mental health services may be provided directly or through contracted community mental health providers. The IEP team must ensure that mental health-related services necessary for the student to benefit from special education are included in the IEP at no cost to the family (R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-24-1).
What Rhode Island Requires
Counseling services, psychological services, and social work services are IDEA-defined related services that must be provided when necessary for the student to benefit from special education (34 CFR 300.34; 200-RICR-20-10-1.6(A)(7)).
When a student's disability includes emotional or behavioral needs, the IEP team must consider and document positive behavioral interventions and mental health supports (200-RICR-20-10-1.6(A); 34 CFR 300.324(a)(2)).
Rhode Island has interagency coordination between RIDE and BHDDH to ensure students receive needed mental health and behavioral services (R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-24-5; 34 CFR 300.154).
Rhode Island's Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) administers the Children's Behavioral Health system and coordinates with RIDE and school districts for students with mental health needs; DCYF is the primary interagency partner for school-age children, while BHDDH primarily serves adults (RIGL 42-72)
If a student requires mental health services to benefit from special education, those services must be provided at no cost to the family as part of FAPE (R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-24-1; 34 CFR 300.17).
Districts may provide school-based mental health services directly or through contracted providers, subject to appropriate credentials (200-RICR-20-10-1.3).
Key Timelines
Mental health-related services included in the IEP must begin on the projected start date and be in effect at the beginning of each school year (200-RICR-20-10-1.6(A)(7); 34 CFR 300.323(a)).
Mental health services in the IEP must be reviewed at least annually (200-RICR-20-10-1.6(D)).
Interagency responsibility for mental health services must be documented in the IEP; if an agency fails to provide services, the district must reconvene the IEP team within a reasonable time (34 CFR 300.154(b)).