BOE approves mental-health agency contracts to improve school services
Georgetown News-GraphicAug 23, 2016
But more important, the school district has improved its system of making sure mental-health counselors are available, district Student Services Director
"We're making sure we have enough folks" available to counsel students at individual schools, Switzer said Friday.
Working with the agencies, Switzer said district officials have mapped a plan that allows as many as three counselors to be available weekly at each school.
And, she said, principals, guidance counselors, teachers and parents are being made aware that the services are available.
"We shouldn't be underserved (this year)," Switzer said.
The agencies are
The board also approved a contract for clinical services to be provided at the
The board became aware of the need for mental-health counselors for students last fall after principals at the
Then-RSMS interim Principal
Two months earlier,
At the time, the district had contracts with
Griesser also had insisted a "really big" number of elementary students also have mental health issues. Switzer said part of the problem last year was that the agency counselors were not assigned to particular schools. They would travel between schools and likely did not make clear their services were available.
"We had fingertips on resources in the past, and were not very organized... We were missing any kind of systematic way" to get needed services to the schools and students, Switzer said.
"This year, we're doing a bit better job organizationally," Switzer said.