Bowen Center to Provide Mental Health Services to Knox High School Students

 

The Knox Community School Corporation has entered into another agreement for mental health services. Last month, the school board approved a one-year contract with Porter-Starke Services for the elementary and middle schools, with the understanding it could be expanded to the high school in the future. But during this week’s meeting, board members approved a contract with the Bowen Center for services at the high school.

Principal Dr. Elizabeth Ratliff said there were a few reasons the high school chose to go with a different agency. For one thing, Ratliff said the Bowen Center specializes in high school students, and that the organization does an “amazing job” at Plymouth and Tippecanoe Valley high schools. On top of that, she said many Knox High School students are already using the Bowen Center.

As part of the new agreement, any student in grades nine through 12 will be able to get two counseling sessions for free, according to Superintendent Dr. William Reichhart. “That’s included in our $1,773 fee that we’re paying the Bowen Center,” he explained. “And then if more counseling is needed, the parents have to either fund that through a Medicaid option or through their private insurance, to continue on with that.”

Ratliff added that the arrangement ensures students’ confidentiality by letting families deal directly with the Bowen Center, if they don’t want to go through their school guidance counselor.

Reichhart noted that the Bowen Center is trying to expand into Starke County, and Porter-Starke is aware of that. “I think it’s a really neat thing that we can have two agencies helping our kids K to 12, and prior to this year, we didn’t have any assistance,” he said. “And so I think it will work out. I think it’s worth trying to work out.” Reichhart added that school officials can reevaluate the two-agency arrangement at the end of the school year.

Meanwhile, Elementary School Principal Michelle Tarnow said Porter-Starke Services is already making a big impact there, with 11 students taking part in the program and more set to be screened.