(The Center Square) – Northville, Michigan Public Schools tabled a vote on placing a health clinic in two of its schools until Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. at Old Village School.
The Northville Public School Board of Education will decide on moving forward with the possible addition of two school-based health centers at NPS’ Hillside and Northville High School via grants and provider funding.
The district held several community forums to provide a platform for the public to share their thoughts and insights on the proposed clinics.
The vote was originally scheduled for Jan. 9 but was delayed to consider more emails and testimony.
A school-based health center aims to provide convenient and accessible health care services to our students ages preschool through 21 through Michigan Medicine.
The centers would be staffed with a nurse practitioner, a clinical social worker, a dietitian and a medical doctor. Students could also access vision services through Kellogg Eye Center and Mott Mobile dentist services.
A presentation says death by suicide tied with unintentional injury as the leading cause of death of 10-14-year-olds in Michigan in 2022.
Nationally, suicide remains the second leading cause of death for children 10-14 and those 15-24 years of age. The presentation said that 50% of mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% begins by age 24, according to the American Psychiatric Association.
Board members delayed the vote to obtain additional information about the clinic.
Matthew J. Wilk, President of Get Kids Back to School, Inc., a 501(c)(4) dedicated to improving education, opposed the plan.
“There were many more questions than answers,” Wilk said in a statement. “This district always prided itself on careful due diligence, but that is lacking here. When they get the additional information they are looking for, it should persuade them to table this plan permanently.”
Wilk said the board sought additional clarity on questions including:
Can 31aa funds be used for construction work, considering 31aa refers to “school safety” only?Does placing a health clinic that can serve non-students in a school require zoning or planning approval?How does Michigan Medicine plan to protect student data given its latest cyberattack and data breach?How much focus can the clinic put on mental health, given that no clinical psychologists or clinical counselors will staff the clinics?
