School systems are under tremendous pressure to not only provide education, but also to ensure that all children’s needs are met.
Schools across the country are beginning to realize that education is about more than just teaching core subjects in the classroom. Before a child is ready to learn, the child’s overall needs must be met…that is, the child is hungry, has dirty clothes, I’m homelessand probably need Mental health support.
“Our society has decided that schools should be supported in everything,” Assistant Superintendent Ryan Barber said. waynesboro public schools. “It’s difficult sometimes, because sometimes I have conversations like this, so I went to school to be an educator, and when I think about education, it’s about math and science and social studies. and reading.
“The way I think now, and probably the way I look at things that has changed since I was in school, is that we have to educate the whole child. We have to solve everything and meet our basic needs.”
Part of educating the whole child includes assessing each student’s mental and behavioral health.
The makeup of school faculty is different than many of us who grew up with school counselors, psychologists, RNs, and social workers looking out for the well-being of their students.
Waynesboro Public Schools provides outpatient counseling services and day therapy to students during the school day through two agencies: elk hill and Valley Community Services Committee.
According to the latest figures from WPS, 45 students receive school-based outpatient services through the VCSB. Thirty-three students are being treated at Elk Hill. Currently, seven students are in the process of being referred or enrolled.
“Instead of going somewhere else, we have a clinician come to our school,” Barber said. “It’s helpful for our family because we don’t have to quit our jobs and take our kids to counseling appointments.”
Barber said the family has told officials they appreciate the confidentiality during appointments. School departments do not take notes of sessions. The only reason the school knows what is being discussed is if the student is at risk of harm to themselves or others.
In addition to school-based outpatient counseling, we also provide day treatment primarily for children who receive Medicaid and are struggling with behavioral issues.
Day treatment involves a clinician at the school and often multiple points of contact during the day to ensure the student is making progress toward their goals and provide support. will be placed.
Even though schools are offering more services, Barber said she wishes some parents would step up and take more ownership over their children. ” he said.
Barber said the school system almost always has supportive parents, but there are certainly some exceptions.
“We just have kids who are really raising themselves,” he said. “What I realized is that even in the most difficult situations that we have to work with families to deal with, I can’t think of a family that actively wished bad things for their children.”
Some parents just want to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads, he says. They work multiple jobs and get a few hours of sleep in between. In these cases, teachers and administrators may see more of the children than their own parents.
“It’s a responsibility. They’re our kids. They’re Waynesboro’s kids and we want to take care of them,” Barber said. “We want to partner with them and actively work with them to graduate successfully. Some families may not have the ability to do that due to their own life circumstances. But we are happy to do so.”
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