By Victoria Wicks
A gap in education services for children in treatment could be bridged if Senate Bill 158 continues toward approval.
The bill provides education funding for young people who have been placed in a residential treatment center by their parents.
Deb Bowman is Governor Dennis Daugaard’s senior advisor. She told the House Education Committee Wednesday that responsibility for funding education for children placed by parents has been a debate for a decade.
This year, a work group met over the summer and decided on a plan of action.
“So what this bill does is it says if a parent places the child, the child is eligible for the Medicaid component for the services and the mental health treatment, then state of SD through the DOE would pay for these approximately 30 youth a year that need this particular service,” Bowman told the committee.
Bowman says the cost is about $140,000 a year, and the Governor has already included that amount in his budget.
The House committee approved the bill, and now it goes to the House floor for debate. If it passes there, it goes to the Governor for his signa
ture.