(a) A school district shall consider the following best practices for truancy prevention measures. (6) Develop collaborative partnerships, including planning, referral, and cross-training opportunities, between appropriate school staff, attendance officers, program-related liaisons, and external partners such as court representatives, community and faith-based organizations, state or locally funded community programs for truancy intervention or prevention, and law enforcement to assist students.

(a) Funded applicants shall comply with the following Standard for school-based health centers.

• (1) Community-based solutions. The funded applicant shall facilitate collaboration among families, schools, and members of the community to assess and meet the health needs of the community's children and families. The funded applicant shall utilize all the following strategies for facilitating community-based solutions:

• (A) Establish or utilize a local school health advisory council per Education Code, Title 2, Chapter 28, § 28.004 to make recommendations on the establishment and operation of school-based health centers and to assist the district in ensuring that local community values are reflected in the operation of each center and in the provision of health education.

• (B) Establish and/or enhance links between school personnel, school-based health center personnel, other health/social services providers and agencies in the community, and other supportive community sectors.

• (C) Enable students and families to be responsible decision-makers in promoting their own health and well-being, making connections with community systems that help to prevent the social isolation and alienation of individuals and families, and using the health care system wisely.

• (D) Require parental involvement in and management of the health care of children receiving services from the center; encourage parental accompaniment of any child younger than 18 years of age at visits to the center; notify the child's parent at least one week in advance or as early as possible of the scheduled appointment; and encourage the parent to attend the appointment.

• (2) Administration. The funded applicant shall plan and administer a school-based health center that meets the health needs of the community's children and families by use of the following strategies:

• (A) Deliver primary and preventive health services to children and families in a school-based setting.

• (B) Establish efficient, client-friendly procedures for utilizing all available sources of funding to compensate for services provided by the school-based health center, including reimbursement from the state Medicaid program, a state children's health plan program, private health insurance or health benefit plans. Funds received through billing for services shall be used for operations of the school-based health center.

• (C) Contract for provision of services at the school-based health center if necessary and appropriate. A school-based health center shall operate under the guidance of a medical director who is licensed by the Texas Medical Board. The medical director shall direct medical services of the school-based health center and be available for consultation, to see referrals, and to review charts.

• (D) Develop and present a specific, detailed plan for funding the school-based health center.

• (E) Research, develop, and implement the forms and administrative procedures necessary to remain in compliance with all all applicable and relevant legislation and regulations. Required procedures contained in applicable legislation for operation of school-based health centers include but are not limited to the following: (i) provision of services to a student only if the school-based health center has obtained written consent to the services from the student's parent within the one-year period preceding the date on which the services are provided, and the consent has not been revoked; (ii) joint identification by school-based health center staff and the student's parent of any health-related concerns of the student that may affect the student's health and/or success in school; (iii) provision of neither reproductive services, counseling, nor referrals through the school-based health center receiving grant funds awarded under this subchapter; (iv) provision of all services by only appropriately licensed, certified, or credentialed professionals as required by law; (v) referral of a student for mental health services only upon notification of and with the written consent of the student's parent, which must be followed by written consent by the student's parent for each treatment occasion(s) authorized by the provider, including informed consent when required for specific services; (vi) a good faith effort by staff of a school-based health center to identify and coordinate with existing health care providers; (vii) provision of notice by the staff of the school-based health center to the primary care physician of a student who has received services; (viii) coordination by the staff of the school-based health center with the primary care physician concerning the clinical treatment of any person who has a primary care physician under the state Medicaid program or another health plan and obtaining authorization before delivering a service; (ix) utilization of all available sources of funding to compensate for services provided by a school-based health center; (x) conduct client surveys in school-based health centers by funded applicants; and (xi) documentation in the student's medical record of the school-based health center's efforts to involve the student's parent in identification of the student's health-related concerns; notification of the student's parent of scheduled appointments and proposed services; coordination with the student's primary care physician; and maintenance of written consent for treatment by the student's parent, including informed consent when required for specific services.

• (3) Emphasis on prevention. A funded applicant shall provide for primary emphasis on the delivery of primary health services and secondary emphasis on the implementation of population-based models that prevent emerging health threats by use of the following strategies:

• (A) increasing substantially the number of children in the community with health-care (medical) homes;

• (B) facilitating access to appropriate primary and preventive care for children;

• (C) educating, enabling, and empowering individuals for healthier lifestyles;

• (D) involving the community in identifying priorities and developing health promotion strategies; and

• (E) relying on the evidence of effective prevention to develop interventions that can demonstrate impact.

• (4) Focus on outcomes. A funded applicant shall focus on the achievement of outcomes that can be documented, using the following strategies:

• (A) delivering primary health services and disease prevention of emerging health threats through access to appropriate primary and preventive care for children through a program designed to achieve the following goals: (i) a reduction in student absenteeism with an emphasis on students with chronic conditions that use the school-based health center and drop-out rates; (ii) an increase in each student's ability to meet his or her academic potential; and (iii) an increase in the health of students through preventive health measures including immunizations, and routine physical examinations including checkups conducted in accordance with the Texas Health Steps program.

In this subchapter:

• (1) to (3)  [Repealed by Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., ch. 73 (S.B. 307), § 2.06(a)(2), effective September 1, 2013.]

• (4)  “Community education” means the process by which the citizens in a school district, using the resources and facilities of the district, organize to support each other and to solve their mutual educational problems and meet their mutual lifelong needs. Community education may include:

• (A)  educational programs, including programs relating to cultural awareness, parenting skills education and parental involvement in school programs, and multilevel adult education and personal growth;

• (B)  community involvement programs, including programs for community economic development, school volunteers, partnerships between schools and businesses, coordination with community agencies, school-age child care, family literacy, and community use of facilities; and

• (C)  programs for youth enrolled in schools, including programs for dropout prevention and recovery programs, drug-free school programs, school-age parenting programs, and academic enhancement.

The agency, in cooperation with the Health and Human Services Commission, shall develop guidelines for school districts regarding: (1) partnering with a local mental health authority and with community or other private mental health services providers and substance abuse services providers to increase student access to mental health services; and (2) obtaining mental health services through the medical assistance program under Chapter 32, Human Resources Code.

(a) The agency shall develop a list of statewide resources available to school districts to address the mental health of students, including: (1) training and technical assistance on practices that support the mental health of students; (2) school-based programs that provide prevention or intervention services to students; (3) community-based programs that provide school-based or school-connected prevention or intervention services to students; (4) school-based mental health providers; and (5) public and private funding sources available to address the mental health of students. (b) In developing the list required under Subsection (a), the agency shall collaborate with: (7) one or more representatives of Communities In Schools programs described by Subchapter E, Chapter 33, who are designated by the Communities In Schools State Office;