I have heard concerns that HB1945, which allows access to Telehealth during the school day, will take away instructional time. My secondary-school aged child spent two years with uncontrolled Chron's disease, forcing him to miss a significant amount of school. The stress from missed school inflamed his condition, leading to the strong recommendation that we add mental health support to his care plan. Ironically, the need for one hour a week of therapy--even when done virtually from our nearby home--took about a half day of instructional time from his already limited schedule and added significant stress (and resistance to getting help). Even if we secured a coveted end-of-day appointment, the travel time still required him to be pulled from his final class. The ability to participate in a telehealth appointment during school hours in a private location would have helped tremendously to keep him in the classroom, increasing his instructional time and health.

Mental health access is important to all students. According to CDC data from 2018–2022, suicide was the leading cause of death among Asian Americans aged 15–24, and the second leading cause of death among Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, highlighting a critical and urgent issue. On behalf of Hamkae Center, we believe students learn best when they have the appropriate supports they need and support this bill as it impacts our growing AAPI communities and meets their needs in making sure that this next chapter in our community’s future is a better and brighter one for the younger generations to come. (https://beyond-the-surface.s3.amazonaws.com/beyond-the-surface-youth-mental-health-report-2024.pdf) Suja S. Mathew, Advocacy Manager

Greater access to telehealth, including while at school, is a modern-day need. Allowing students the ability to access telehealth services from the school building helps to keep students in class since they don’t have to leave for appointments. It also benefits students and families in rural areas that may not have physical access to medical treatment in their locality. Telehealth is a resource that is needed to keep up with the evolution and availability of medical resources. The Virginia PTA supports HB1945.

the disAbility Law Center of Virginia supports this legislation. This should enable children with disabilities in the most rural parts of the Commonwealth to have better access to important services.