Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Guidance for School Behavioral Health

In accordance with 2023 General Assembly SB 1043 and 2024 HB919, the Virginia Department of Education, in consultation with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) and the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) has created the Developing a Memorandum of Understanding: School Telehealth and Community Provider Collaboration for Behavioral Health Services document to support local school boards partnering with public or private community health providers for the provision of mental health services to public school students enrolled in the local school division. The document will assist divisions in creating a well-designed MOU and includes a sample MOU. There is also a second sample MOU that includes telehealth service provision.

To support implementation, The VDOE also developed a nine-part webinar series,  Implementing an Effective Memorandum of Understanding, which is housed on the Career and Learning Center in Virginia for School Mental Health Professionals. This series is designed to help school division and community partners understand what collaboration will look like in practice. The content presented in this series is drawn from and supports the Virginia Department of Education’s guidance document, Developing a Memorandum of Understanding.