Nassau County Schools Block Access to Mental Health Curriculum : Two Years and Counting
Opinion/Education
Freedom Chronicles, Oct 15, 2025
For more than two years, parents and citizens in Nassau County, Florida have been fighting for transparency , and they’re still being stonewalled.
At the center of the controversy is a mental health program called Ripple Effects, used for nearly a decade in Nassau County schools through Starting Point Behavioral Healthcare. Despite two court orders and a 2024 ruling requiring public access to the program, the Nassau County School District continues to block all attempts at review.
This is no longer just about one county or one curriculum. It’s a case study in how taxpayer-funded programs can operate behind closed doors, defy the law, and conceal content from the very public that pays for them.
What Are They Hiding?
When parents and taxpayers are denied access to materials used in public schools , even after court intervention , it raises an obvious question: What’s being hidden?
Documents and testimony suggest Ripple Effects includes:
- Videos of children diagnosing other children with mental health conditions.
- Private “Brain Journals” where students record personal reflections , inaccessible to parents.
- Sexual and gender-identity content added or modified without public input or oversight.
- A video showing a child celebrating multiple mental health diagnoses, encouraging peers to do the same.
Even more troubling, Ripple Effects threatened legal action if adults were permitted to view its software. And while parents are kept in the dark, Starting Point Behavioral Healthcare , the district’s mental-health contractor , has been accused of violating Florida’s Parents’ Rights in Education law after a counselor reportedly told a student they would not share conversations about sexual identity with her parents.
License Termination and Record Destruction
During ongoing litigation, Starting Point terminated its license with Ripple Effects, effectively cutting off the school district’s access to the program. The district now claims it cannot produce records because it no longer holds the license.
Critics say this move appears to be a strategic attempt to evade accountability, a potential violation of Florida’s public records preservation laws (Statute 119.021), which require agencies to retain all records under active litigation. Destroying or concealing those records would be not just unethical, but potentially illegal.
These tactics have forced local advocate Jack Knocke to reopen the case yet again, seeking judicial enforcement and penalties for noncompliance.
Follow the Money
This is not a small or isolated problem. Mental health spending in Florida schools has exploded from $9 million in 2016 to $180 million in 2024, a twentyfold increase in less than a decade.
In Nassau County alone:
- $315,000 was allocated to Starting Point Behavioral Healthcare in the current budget , with another $315,000 planned for 2025–2026.
- $400,000 was funneled through Florida’s LEADS budget for Project T.A.L.K.S.
- $4 million came from SAMHSA (the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) in 2022.
- Additional funding flowed from Lutheran Children Services and Lutheran Services of Florida.
And yet , despite these millions , there has been no measurable improvement in student mental health outcomes. In fact, local reports suggest that outcomes are worsening, even as funding continues to surge.
Where is the accountability for these dollars? No independent audits, no transparent curriculum reviews, and no clear chain of responsibility across county, state, and federal levels.
A System Designed to Avoid Oversight
This scandal isn’t just about Nassau County. It’s about how multi-level government bureaucracy can quietly operate without checks or transparency.
The Nassau case shows how easily a public agency can:
- Receive millions in taxpayer funds,
- Partner with outside nonprofits and vendors,
- Claim “confidentiality” or “licensing restrictions” to block access,
- Terminate contracts to destroy evidence,
- And keep the public entirely shut out , even under court order.
That’s not education. That’s government by evasion.
What Can Citizens Do?
Accountability begins at the local level. Every Floridian , every parent and taxpayer , deserves to know what’s being taught in their schools and how their money is being spent.
Here’s how you can take action:
- Demand full transparency from your school board and county commissioners.
- Insist that public funds only support publicly reviewable programs.
- File public records requests (under Florida Statute 119) for contracts, licenses, and program materials.
- Ask your representatives to freeze or reallocate funds from agencies that violate open-records laws.
- Support legislation requiring state-level audits of all publicly funded school mental-health programs.
The Bottom Line
Programs that receive millions in taxpayer funds , whether from federal, state, or county sources , must be accountable to the people who pay the bills.
Mental health matters. But secrecy and manipulation are not mental health strategies, they are symptoms of a broken system.
Until citizens demand oversight, the system will continue to protect itself instead of protecting our children.
Further references can be found below:
📜 Court Orders and Legal Actions
1. Circuit Judge Marianne Aho’s Order (November 2024)
In November 2024, Circuit Judge Marianne Aho ruled that the Ripple Effects curriculum used in Nassau County schools is a public record. The judge ordered the Nassau County School District and Starting Point Behavioral Healthcare to provide public access to the curriculum, allowing Citizens Defending Freedom (CDF) and other citizens to review the materials. Eye on Jacksonville
2. Writ of Mandamus Filed by CDF (February 2024)
In February 2024, CDF filed a writ of mandamus, requesting the court to compel the Nassau County School District to release the Ripple Effects materials. The lawsuit alleged that the district had failed to comply with public records laws by withholding the curriculum materials. Eye on Jacksonville
3. Ongoing Legal Proceedings (July 2025)
As of July 2025, Jack Knocke, representing CDF, was back in Nassau County Circuit Court arguing for the release of the mental health curriculum public records. Despite the November 2024 court ruling, the school district and Starting Point Behavioral Health continued to block access to the materials. Knocke contended that the district and Starting Point had terminated their contract to avoid compliance with the court order, raising concerns about the preservation of public records under active litigation. libertysentinel.org
Tags: #FloridaEducation #ParentsRights #Transparency #RippleEffects #MentalHealthInSchools #Accountability #PublicRecords #ProtectOurKids
📚 Additional Resources
- Court Filing #191446774 (February 7, 2024): The initial complaint filed by CDF and Jack Knocke against the Nassau County School District and Starting Point Behavioral Healthcare. citizensjournal.net
- Court Filing #199414921 (May 29, 2024): A reply filed by the plaintiffs in response to the defendants’ motions. citizensjournal.net
- Citizens Defending Freedom Press Release (November 22, 2024): An update on the court’s ruling and the subsequent actions taken by CDF. citizensjournal.net
📜 Relevant Florida Statutes
- Florida Statute 119.021 – Custodial requirements; maintenance, preservation, and retention of public records. This statute mandates that public records be maintained and preserved appropriately. Florida Legislature
- Florida Statute 1002.22 – Student records; parental access. This statute ensures that students and their parents have the right to access education records, including the right to inspect and review those records. Florida Legislature
- Florida Statute 1001.42 – Powers and duties of district school board. This statute outlines the responsibilities of school boards, including the requirement to adopt procedures that comport with certain provisions of law for notifying a student’s parent of specified information. Florida Legislature
- Florida Parental Rights in Education Act (HB 1557) – This act requires school districts to adopt procedures for notifying parents if there is a change in their student’s services or monitoring related to mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being. It also prohibits school district personnel from discouraging or prohibiting parental notification and involvement in critical decisions affecting a student’s mental, emotional, or physical well-being
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