Ideas in the news...

Extra Care: Supporting Students Impacted by Opioid Crisis

Teachers in Manatee County School District are taking part in a new initiative, Handle with Care, which involves notification from law enforcement when a child has been involved in a traumatic experience. The generic notification from law enforcement to the school district protects the privacy of parents and children, but ensures educators are aware of the need to exercise extra care when supporting their students. Drug Free Manatee devised the program after seeing a tripling of students entering foster care due to the opioid crisis within their county (McKinnon, Herald Tribune).  

Bus Drivers Join Battle to Fight Opioid Epidemic

School bus drivers in Snohomish County recently received training on what to look for when someone might be overdoing on opioid drugs.  Provided by an opioid outreach specialist with Snohomish County, the training gave guidance on possible symptoms, and also provided an opportunity to have question answered. District driver trainer, Jonna Critchett, recognized how the multi-year relationships established between drivers and students allows them to spot changes that might indicate a problem with a student (Stevick, HeraldNet).

Scheduling and Test Coordination

Counselors are abuzz on social media on the two topics they work on in the early spring—scheduling students for next year, and coordinating spring testing in their buildings.  While both of these duties have long been associated with counselors, this pairing is not without its controversy. School counselors argue that their role in scheduling—combined with the task of making schedule changes in the fall—is far more clerical and logistical, taking away from the more counselor-centered tasks of academic and personal advising. While all school counselors have had training in test interpretation, the building of testing schedules and the assigning of faculty and students to specific testing rooms is largely seen as an administrative task that keeps counselors from supporting students and focusing on student development (O'Connor).  

Prioritizing School Support Systems and Staff

With safety and mental healthy concerns being in the spotlight in school news, school counselors and other staff members supporting students outside of the classroom cannot help but remind people how underfunded their positions have become in schools. In this NPR article, you can get a snapshot into a school counselor's day while she tries juggle her 500 plus student load. It's no wonder that students may not always get the attention and services they need when counselors have such a heavy load (Lombardo).