Jefferson County Public Schools agreed to pay $291,690 for virtual therapy services through Hazel Health, a contract meant to reach more than 19,000 students at schools serving a high share of low-income households. By the time the contract ended in June 2026, just six students had completed therapy sessions, according to figures reported by the district.
The gap between promise and outcome is detailed in reporting from Louisville Public Media, which found that school staff referred 17 students to the platform, but only six ultimately received services across 43 total therapy sessions. Most of those sessions took place in students’ homes, with just two held at school. The eight schools that referred students included King Elementary School, whose staff referred six students on their own, the most of any school in the district.
A Contract Built on Big Promises, Small Results
The Jefferson County Board of Education approved the Hazel Health contract in February 2025, with the company agreeing to provide virtual behavioral assessments and therapy sessions at no cost to families. District officials expected the service to reduce truancy-related illness, increase student retention and improve academic performance, according to the contract terms cited in the reporting. JCPS was also one of 663 ed-tech products approved for use in the district, per the same report.
Hazel Health required parental consent before providing therapy to any student, a requirement that appears to have significantly limited how many of the referred students ultimately received care. When the original contract lapsed, the Jefferson County Board of Education approved a no-cost extension through June 2026 in December 2025, continuing telehealth access across 33 schools without additional district payment…