School board votes to cut mental health services
On Feb. 18, the Conejo Valley Unified School District [CVUSD] school board voted on a resolution to approve the discontinuance of the particular kinds of grant-funded mental health services recognized on Resolution #25/26-28. Following 18 individual speakers during the public comment section of the school board meeting, the school board discussed their personal opinions on the topic, and eventually voted with a 5-0 decision to pass action item 3A.
Beginning Oct. 1, 2022, CVUSD was awarded a $11.3 million-dollar federal grant under the U.S. Department of Education’s School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program [SBMH], which was scheduled to conclude on Sept. 30, 2027. On April 29, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education issued a notice to the district that the funding under the SBMH program was being discontinued. Following this notice, the district joined other affected local education agencies in federal litigation, however, despite recent federal court orders, the district has not received sufficient funding to continue specific mental health services as they currently are.
CVUSD students, parents and mental health clinicians were among the speakers at the meeting, all commenting on the importance of mental health services offered within the district and their personal experiences with the wellness centers. Brelyn McCants, junior at Newbury Park High School [NPHS], struggled with anxiety after moving from Alabama in 2022. The wellness center helped her overcome anxiety and feel comfortable in the new environment.
“At the time, my family did not have the privilege of being able to pay for therapy and it wasn’t until I walked on the campus of NPHS and went to the wellness center, where they not only offered free therapy, but they also offered me a community,” McCants said.
Lisa Powell, school board member, has had experience in social work in public school since 2001. Through her time in schools, she has noticed that many of her peers disregard mental health and still expect students to perform well in school. However, she feels that CVUSD is different.
“There is so much more we need to be offering students because you can’t have success at teaching reading, writing, arithmetic, if the kids are having mental health issues,” Powell said.
Karen Sylvester, CVUSD board member, played a significant role in making a decision on the discontinuation of the funding for some mental health services. Sylvester feels that the district has long prioritized mental well-being, but the decision still had to be made.
“I think we should all understand that as we are looking at these other funding sources, we have to do this now,” Sylvester said. “This board, at least for as long as I have been on it, understood that children learn best when they are mentally healthy. So this is upsetting to all of us as you can tell.”
With funding cut for the mental health services, there will be changes to the existing programs. According to Heather Chamberlin, CVUSD Director of Mental Health Services, clinicians of the district will have to provide services across many programs instead of focusing on just one.
“It may mean that the wellness center is not open every single day of the week, but there will be some level of service available on our high school and middle school campuses,” Chamberlin said.
Although McCants’ mental wellbeing improved after going to the Wellness Center, she fears that other students with similar struggles will not be as fortunate.
“There are still countless students to come who are dealing with the same struggles,” McCants said. “By defunding mental health services, this will directly affect student’s safety and well-being. Wellness centers are a fundamental part of what makes CVUSD such a successful school district.”
