Jonesboro, AR – JonesboroRightNow.com – Following an unexpected departure by their previous provider, Success Academy at Jonesboro Public Schools (JPS) students will see a seamless continuation of on-campus mental health services under a new partnership.

Secure Foundation Counseling, PLLC, recently announced that it would be the official mental health services provider for Success Academy.

The transition comes after the campus’ previous provider, Methodist Family Health, unexpectedly notified school officials that they could no longer provide services to the Success Academy. JRN reached out to Methodist Family Health and received the following statement:

“Due to changes and challenges within the managed care system in Arkansas and loss of revenue with this program post-COVID, Methodist Family Health (MFH) had to evaluate our ability to serve Success Academy. We are actively working with the new provider to transition clients and some staff to ensure continuity of care. MFH recently expanded our services in northeast Arkansas with the opening of the Methodist Children’s Behavioral Hospital, and we still have a strong partnership with the Jonesboro and Nettleton school districts,” said MFH communications director Lindsey Simmons.

According to Von McDaniel, JPS director of Student Health Services, the district considered multiple organizations before settling on Secure Foundation Counseling.

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“Secure seemed to have everything that would be a good fit,” McDaniel said, noting that their roots as a local Jonesboro company stood out during the selection process. “Honestly, we brought them in, and they said that they could offer what we needed counseling-wise and also help with medication management, which is important to us from a counseling perspective.”

McDaniel emphasized that the change was strictly logistical and not caused by service gaps or performance issues with the previous contract holder.

Under the new agreement, Secure Foundation will serve as the exclusive school-based provider inside the Success Academy building, though students retain the option to see outside therapists if families prefer. Rather than operating on an on-call or referral-only basis, the firm will maintain a consistent, physical staff presence on campus.

For students and teachers anxious about the change, McDaniel reiterated that the existing mental health staff at Success Academy will remain in place.

“The mental health staff that we currently have are going to stay,” McDaniel clarified. “They plan on staying with Secure Foundation and continuing their work at Success.”

The scope of services brought to the campus includes traditional therapy and counseling, medication management, and case management, referred to as Qualified Behavioral Health Provider (QBHP) services.

When asked how the new counselors would integrate with classroom teachers and school administrators, McDaniel noted that JPS’s roots with third-party providers will keep the daily workflow familiar.

“Honestly, our schools have a long history with mental health providers, so really nothing should change for them,” McDaniel said. “It should be the same process that it’s always been, just under a different name.”

As JPS oversees the contract next year, the district plans to look closely at various data to evaluate the partnership’s efficiency.

“I’m sure that we’ll look at total caseloads—we do that anyway with our providers in the other buildings—and the success of student and family compliance,” McDaniel said.

A key variable the district will track is how smoothly the on-campus medication management functions.

“We’ll look at that to see if that is working positively for us and if we still want them to be on-site,” McDaniel added, though he noted he anticipates the arrangement will work out well for the students.

Editor’s Note: This story was updated to include a statement from Methodist Family Health.

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