Section 4345.

The Director of Mental Health shall develop guidelines for primary intervention programs in accordance with the following:

(a) School-based programs shall serve children in grades kindergarten through three.

(b) The programs may serve children beyond grade three who could benefit from the program but the number of children accepted into the program from grades four and above shall not represent more than 15 percent of the total number of children served.

(c) The programs may serve children enrolled in a publicly funded preschool program.

(d) The programs shall serve children referred by either a screening process, a teacher, school-based mental health professionals, other school personnel who have had opportunities to observe children in interpersonal contacts, or parents. If a screening process is utilized, behavior rating scales shall constitute the primary instrument from which referrals to primary intervention programs are made. To a more limited extent, observations of children working on structured tasks and standardized projective tests may also be used.

(e) The programs may include a parent involvement component.

(f) Before acceptance of a child into a primary intervention program, parental consent is required.

(Amended by Stats. 1991, Ch. 858, Sec. 4. Effective October 14, 1991.)