Email: kenneth.lee@houstonisd.org

            Phone: 713-556-5917

Services provided by licensed school Social Workers are short term and not intended to replace the services provided by licensed Clinical Counselors/Therapists. School services are designed to assist the student with school-based issues and are solution-focused in nature. The format may be either small group or individual sessions.

 Social Work sessions will remain confidential except when certain legal restrictions arise and confidentiality cannot be maintained. These cases include, but are not limited to, child abuse, danger to oneself, danger to others, and illegal words/actions.

 All students enrolled at Mandarin Immersion Magnet School are automatically opted in to receive social work services due to the student being enrolled in HISD and the social worker being an HISD employee. In the case that a parent does not want their child to be seen by the social worker, a form must be signed by both the parent and the social worker. The parent will receive a copy of the signed form. The student will still have some interactions with the Social Worker by nature of the Social Worker being an HISD employee in the completion of their daily duties.

 COVID-19 Specific Information

In regards to telemental health services:

• Parents have the right to withdraw consent at any time without affecting their or their child’s right to future care, services, or program benefits to which they would otherwise be entitled.
• There are risks, benefits, and consequences associated with telemental health, including but not limited to, disruption of transmission by technology failures, interruption and/or breaches of confidentiality by unauthorized persons, and/or limited ability to respond to emergencies.
• There will be no recording of any of the online sessions by either party. All information disclosed within sessions and written records pertaining to those sessions are confidential and may not be disclosed to anyone without written authorization, except where the disclosure is permitted and/or required by law.
• The privacy laws that protect the confidentiality of your protected health information (PHI) also apply to telemental health unless an exception to confidentiality applies (i.e. mandatory reporting of child, elder, or vulnerable adult abuse; danger to self or others; mental/emotional health are brought up by the legal party as an issue in a legal proceeding).
• If the client is having suicidal or homicidal thoughts, actively experiencing psychotic symptoms or experiencing a mental health crisis that cannot be resolved remotely, it may be determined that telemental health services are not appropriate and a higher level of care is required.