As part of the state budget, Alabama legislators this year created a pilot program for telehealth counseling in school districts across the state with the goal of paving the way for more student access to counseling services.
Rep. Phil Ensler said he allocated money for the program with Montgomery Public Schools in mind. Lawmakers set aside $2.5 million in the budget for the program.
The Department of Education will award the money to between three and five districts, depending on their size. The goal is for districts to apply for the program through the Department of Education over the summer and to have telehealth counseling available to students and district employees by next school year.
"It just makes it a little more accessible," Ensler said about the effort to get more counseling to more people.
He said telehealth appointments or virtual counseling help people who do not have the time or transportation to make it to in-person appointments.
Ensler said he was proud of the bipartisan effort to pass this law. "This just shows there is bipartisanship support on certain issues," Ensler said.