Litchfield School Board Approves Cartwheel Health Service for Student Mental Health Support

Litchfield Community Unit School District #12 Board Meeting | April 21, 2026

Article Summary: In an effort to bolster social-emotional support, the Litchfield Board of Education approved a service agreement with Cartwheel Health Services to provide students with rapid access to licensed clinicians via telehealth.

Cartwheel Health Agreement Key Points:

• The service agreement begins September 1, 2026.

• The program offers Tier 2 and Tier 3 mental health interventions through a telehealth model.

• First-year costs are heavily offset by a grant, allowing the district to pilot the program with minimal financial risk.

The Litchfield Community Unit School District #12 Board of Education on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, unanimously approved a service agreement with Cartwheel Health Services, expanding telehealth mental health resources for students beginning next fall.

The partnership is designed to strengthen the district’s Tier 2 and Tier 3 social-emotional interventions by giving students and families quicker access to licensed clinicians.

“As we work through this proposal, we did collaborate with our current emotional support team to ensure they would welcome this addition and be on board,” Superintendent Dr. Kelly McClain told the board.

The agreement structure minimizes the district’s initial financial burden. McClain noted that a grant will offset a significant portion of the cost during the first year, with expenses scaling up over a three-year period.

“It does give us the flexibility if we’re not seeing the services provided for our students the way we and the emotional support team would like, that we don’t have to continue over that three-year agreement,” McClain explained.

The adoption of Cartwheel Health directly aligns with the forthcoming goals of the district’s newly finalized strategic plan, which places a heavy emphasis on enhancing student social and emotional well-being.