Dear BUSD Community,
BUSD is announcing its participation in the statewide Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI), a program designed to create a sustainable funding mechanism for student behavioral health and socio-emotional services.
Click the image above to hear more about our Wellness Center.
CYBHI allows school districts to be reimbursed for specific behavioral health (mental health and wellness) support services provided to students by billing families’ private health insurance and Medi-Cal plans at no cost to families. This initiative is a critical step for BUSD to maintain comprehensive services following the expiration of temporary, one-time federal and state pandemic-era funding.
Addressing the Need for Sustainable Services
The recent influx of temporary funding helped BUSD significantly expand its capacity to meet the increased need for student mental and emotional health support. As these temporary financial sources expire, BUSD, like many districts across the state, is seeking stable solutions to ensure these vital behavioral health services continue.
Through the CYBHI Fee Schedule, BUSD will be able to seek reimbursement for services provided to students under the age of 26, including:
- Social-emotional lessons are integrated into the classroom.
- Behavioral health screenings and assessments.
- Individual and group counseling for topics such as anxiety, stress, grief, and social skills.
- Substance use screening and counseling
The Role of Family Insurance Information
To participate in the CYBHI program and be eligible for reimbursement, BUSD may now collect health insurance information from all families.
Beginning February 5, 2026, BUSD will ask parents, guardians, and caregivers to provide their student’s health insurance or Medi-Cal information electronically, through this link to Informed K-12. This allows us to get parental consent securely to bill insurance and provide their student’s medical insurance number. Starting with the 2026-27 school year, the school’s digital platform, Infinite Campus, will integrate the option for providing consent to bill and update insurance as part of the annual Data Confirmation process.
- Goal: The insurance information will be used to verify coverage and submit reimbursement requests for eligible services provided by the district.
- Family Protection: State law prohibits health care plans and insurers from passing the cost of these specific school-linked services to families. Families will not be charged co-pays, face higher premiums, or have deductibles affected by this billing process. The use of school-based services will not impact a family’s ability to obtain care outside of the school setting.
- Service Impact: The CYBHI Fee Schedule focuses solely on funding and will not change the type of behavioral health services students receive, nor will it affect Special Education services outlined in a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP).
Parental Consent and Opt-Out Clarification
Districts participating in CYBHI are required by the state to collect health insurance information from families in order to submit a request for reimbursement, and families can provide consent or opt out of consent at any time.
- No Insurance: Students whose families do not have health insurance will still be eligible to receive wellness services at BUSD sites.
- Consent: General services like school counselors or classroom-based social-emotional lessons do not require separate parental permission. The district will seek parental consent for all students annually, during the district’s Data Confirmation process each fall. The purpose is primarily to facilitate the necessary insurance verification required for CYBHI billing and consent to bill.
- Minor Consent: BUSD notes that in California, minors aged 12 and above can consent to certain health and wellness services related to sexual and reproductive health independently. For example, via self-referral to the high school health center.
Call to Action: Update Your Information
We are asking all families to provide their student’s health insurance member ID information. We are also asking for your consent to bill insurance for specific types of student services/activities that the state of California has pre-approved and for which private health insurance companies will reimburse schools. This is a required step for the district and is essential for our ability to sustain these services. Please fill out the necessary consent form below.
BUSD is committed to providing a seamless transition to this new funding model to ensure students continue to receive the critical wellness support needed to thrive academically and emotionally. If you have any questions or need help with the forms, please email cybhi@berkeley.net and our program manager, Doreen Bracamontes will assist you.
Berkeley Unified School District
Public Information Office
