BOARD POLICY - 5141.5
The Irvine Unified School District Board of Education recognizes the critical role of student behavioral health in supporting academic success, school engagement, and overall well-being. The Board is committed to providing equitable access to coordinated, culturally responsive, and developmentally appropriate behavioral health supports for all students through a comprehensive, Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS).
The District shall maintain clear, consistent referral protocols and procedures that promote early identification, timely intervention, and coordinated support for students experiencing behavioral health needs.
High-Risk Pupil Groups
This policy is adopted to address the needs of all students, including high-risk student groups, including, but not limited to:
- Students with disabilities
- Students experiencing mental illness
- Foster youth and students placed in out-of-home settings
- Students experiencing homelessness
- Students experiencing bereavement or a significant loss
- Students for whom there is a concern due to behavioral health disorders, including substance use disorders, such as opioid and alcohol abuse
- LGBTQ+ students
District leadership may identify additional student groups at local discretion, such as English learners or recently immigrated students, when local data indicates increased behavioral health risk.
Student Privacy and Data Protection
The District shall comply with all applicable federal and state student data privacy laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Education Code section 49073 et seq., and other relevant confidentiality requirements, in connection with referral protocols for addressing student behavioral health concerns and implementation of this policy. In addition to state and federal regulations, the District’s compliance requirements are more explicitly outlined in Board Policy 5022: Student and Family Privacy Rights and Board Policy 5125: Student Records, and in their accompanying Administrative Regulations.
Referral Protocols and Procedures
Needs Assessment
The Superintendent or designee shall conduct an annual needs assessment to:
- Identify behavioral health trends
- Review available resources
- Detect service gaps within the school community
Capacity Building
The Superintendent or designee shall:
- Provide professional development on referral pathways and staff roles
- Maintain partnerships with community-based providers
- Support implementation of tiered interventions, including prevention, early intervention, and intensive supports
Planning
The Superintendent or designee shall:
- Maintain referral pathways for crisis and non-crisis concerns
- Enter into memoranda of understanding with external partners, where appropriate, to support referral handoffs and information-sharing
Implementation
The Superintendent or designee shall maintain and update, as needed, step-by-step procedures to:
- Initiate referrals
- Document concerns
- Notify parents/guardians consistent with applicable law and District practice
- Triage level of need using MTSS-aligned processes
- Link students and/or families to appropriate school-based and community-based services
- Utilize available school-based supports
- Schedule follow-up checks and monitor engagement
Training (Education Code section 49428.2(b)(4), (c)–(e))
The Superintendent or designee shall ensure that teachers of students in grades 7–12 receive training on student behavioral health, consistent with state law and aligned with the District’s suicide prevention and student wellness policies. Training materials approved by the District shall include:
- Recognition of signs and symptoms of youth behavioral health disorders, including suicide risk factors and warning signs
- How to identify appropriate contacts for behavioral health evaluation, services, or both evaluation and services, at the school site and within the larger community
- When and how to refer students and their families to those services
Legal Reference:
EDUCATION CODE
215 Student suicide prevention policy
215.5 Student identification cards; suicide prevention hotline
216 Suicide prevention online training programs
49428.1 Model referral protocol for student mental health services
49428.2 Behavioral health training and referral protocols
48980 Parental notifications
49060-49079 Student records
FEDERAL LAW
20 USC 1232g Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
Policy Adopted: April 21, 2026
Administrative Regulation 5141.5: Mental Health Referral Protocols