The Knoxville Community School District has received a grant from The Wellmark Foundation to bring new mental and behavioral health services to students.

The Knoxville Community School District announced that beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, students will have access to in-person therapy and Classroom Clinic, a telehealth service that connects families, schools and mental health professionals to provide personalized mental and behavioral health support for students.

“Thanks to the generous support of the Wellmark Foundation, our students will have expanded access to high-quality behavioral health services that meet them where they are—both in person at school and through telehealth,” said Superintendent Cassi Pearson. “ This grant allows us to strengthen proactive supports, build healthy habits, and equip students with the skills they need to manage challenges, succeed academically, and thrive both in and beyond the classroom.”

Classroom Clinic, a school-based telehealth company, collaborates with school districts to provide timely and convenient access to youth mental health care. Its services include telepsychiatry, provided by Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners, and teletherapy, from licensed mental health counselors. By introducing in-person therapy and Classroom Clinic, students at West and Northstar can access services for their mental and behavioral health similar to how they can visit the school nurse for physical health care. The new mental and behavioral health services are possible, in part, by a three-year School-Centered Behavioral Health Grant from The Wellmark Foundation.

The Wellmark Foundation’s School-Centered Behavioral Health Grant is available for eligible rural Iowa schools that want to establish lasting mental and behavioral health services for Iowa youth. For more information, visit Wellmark.com/SchoolBehavioralHealthGrant.