Social workers fill gap for schools
Sometimes a gamble pays off, sometimes it doesn’t.
When Lehighton Area School District officials kicked the tires on adding a social worker to its staff, it was one of the first in the area to do so.
The district hired Kerri Miller before the 2017-18 school year in the newly minted social worker/transition coordinator position, an investment that paid such high dividends, it budgeted for a second such position beginning in 2018-19 and landed Carrie Kenny.
“We often talk about educating the whole child and hitting that hidden curriculum,” Lehighton Superintendent Jonathan Cleaver said during a board meeting Monday night.
“Our two social workers are extremely valuable to our students and families because they offer assistance in so many areas, from crisis intervention to our mental health curriculum and awareness. Education is more than just science and math and language arts and those things you see on the surface. We’re fortunate to be able to fund these positions and have Kerri and Carrie as part of our team.”
The duo spoke Monday about their roles in the district and the bridge they provide between the school and the community.
When there are student attendance problems, Miller said, they are on the front lines with home visits trying to get to the root of the issue.
“This is one of the most common things we do,” she said. ”If a teacher is having a hard time getting ahold of a family, it’s easier for us to call or go out and check on things to see what needs to be done to get that student in school and back on track.”
The job also includes check-ins and counseling services for students who may be at risk of self-harm or have other concerns.
“Sometimes they are just having a bad day and need someone to talk to,” Kenny said.
Also among the laundry list of duties are staff trainings, helping oversee the Aevidum clubs in the middle school and high school, working with students who have been deemed homeless and transition coordination services.
“The transition coordinator component involved working with those 14 years of age or older who really need help getting their foot in the door as far as employment and what life after school looks like for them,” Kenny said.
Looking back on establishing the positions, board President Larry Stern called it a great investment for the district and the community.
“Bridging the gaps that they do is one of the most important things done here in the district,” Stern said. “A lot of times, children need help more than just between the hours of 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Often, coming to school is the most stability a child has during the day, so what these ladies do to help them is incredible.”
Comments
Heading to Mario's at 5 pm with the reports.
Don't believe your conclusions without first reviewing the reports.
Making conclusions is poor form.
The stakeholders run the local schools with public servants. You should consider the children before making such poor conclusions.
Hopefully, we will see you soon to review the district reports.
Sincerely,
Citizen David F. Bradley Sr.
If you dont have all of the information is it morally correct to make assumptions shouldnt you have all the facts
So answer the question why would you ask a non profit to do the job that our hired employees can and have done
The conclusions are evidentiary
- Sure, because the Lions FREE eye test is better and in addition to the publically mandated government's version. Please tell me this diatribe about reforming the financial insolvency of a government wasn't just about the board's unanimous vote to approve FREE eye exams.
That would make you look like a silly zealot trying to block free eye exams, provided only to student with parental permission by a community charity organization working in cooperation with the school staff. Ugh.
Sincerely,
Citizen David F. Bradley Sr.
That is why the compromise was made
Hmmm. this profile sounds so familiar. Let's see: Dogmatic, "prove it to me Mr. Bradley", call the question Mr. Bradley, answer me now Mr Bradley, and all while ignoring the district published documents as evidence.
Does this 'concerned parent' sound like someone we know?
Whoever you are, these are my thoughts:
Lawful government transparency is a good goal.
Sharing information is a good goal.
Protect the students, save the community are good goals.
So what exactly is your argument?
If it is that I am of average intelligence and average morality,
I concede.
If it is that I will give up on protecting the children and saving the community, you are mistaken.
Rigid principles will alway withstand your barrage of questions, and it is those questions that reinforce and reform the rigid principles we all share.
Good luck to you and your family. I wish you well. Nice conversing, I hope you will politely introduce yourself when you are free from the oppression that hides your identity.
Good bye. It was nice to see more citizens are getting involved making moral judgments of their government.
Sincerely,
Citizen David F. Bradley Sr.
PS. Before you erase all your comments since your arguments only expose more immorality, please refrain. The people need zealots to expose immorality. Like Wayne Wentz stating he support the administration that admitted to not having a copy. Classic Wayne. Rubber stamping zealots giving their blind trust to very administration they were elected to oversee just exposes the areas that need fixing.
But like i said before by not having all the information before drawing a opinion is just as bad as not letting people see the information
But i have asked to see the video of tonight's meeting i have also said i wanted to see the facts that show your opinion are true
But i dont see them
You ask the other board members to post info on social media why wont you
What my point is that your either a hypocrite or you just rather be the big mouth that runs his mouth without any true solutions
Yet, the unanimous board vote was overturned. The administration was not held accountable, the board rubber stamped the administration.
The FREE eye tests were superior in many ways, they should be provided to every student.
Yet, the unanimous board vote was overturned. The administration was not held accountable, the board rubber stamped the administration.
The FREE eye tests were superior in many ways, they should be provided to every student.
You are the man that wants to drop the educational standards so more 16 year olds could go to college
There is more to education then just learning
There is maturity and funding
Me on the other hand thinks more about the health and safety and education of the children and socially how it's better for all the same ages kids under one roof
Not to mention it would harder to keep the educational standards we have expect from our schools over 4 schools then it has under one
But yet I ask you what your plan is for sustainability and you dont answer
One of those that attended took a video. I don't know who the 'concerned parent' was, but I hope your questions were answered.
For the record, Larry Stern, his wife Anita, and her boss Superintendent Cleaver were not on attendance.
Mario's was gracious to give us a table to display the reports. Thank you Mario's for letting us flash mob the restaurant on a lousy weather day.
For that, I apologized to Mario's.
Next time we will call ahead, however, Not an excuse, but, I did not expected the author to not attend. It was a bit of a surprise to see all those that did.
The biggest take away was the fact that the government collected funds for years and didn't fix the required safety items in the safe, debt free, local schools and facts in the bond documents confirmed the conflicts in the district's two stories.
I judged them as pure evil public officials.
Read who signed the feasibility study to see who was on the board back then.
Sincerely,
Citizen David F. Bradley Sr.
But again moving the goal posts
Saying the same stuff you did before
But you still havent answered one question
Good evening. It is regrettable that I must conclude that you were not at Mario's to obtain the truth. Since all those that attended were bright, attentive and like me, interested in protecting the students while saving the community, no one puppeted you slanted philosophical views. Many were graduates from the LASD. Hopefully, the video that was taken will be published so you can get the documents out and do some study for yourself.
The evil that got us here, the flawed morality will be replaced on Dec 4. Moving forward is inevitable. Next time you have the opportunity to meet, you pick the time and place, or try attending a board meeting so we will have the authority to compel the administration to answer.
Some think you are staying in the shadows because you are a staff member, if you fear being identified, send in a friend. You see, the lines you are repeating were first puppeted by other zealots for the machine claiming people like me make board cut backs. We have no such individual authority.
You see, on our side, the moral side, the board is a public servant. So the people chose the level of benefits to provide the children, the board just documents the data and provides the stakeholder the opportunity to lobby the government as individual citizens united in a common goal, protect the students, save the community.
Sincerely,
Citizen David F. Bradley Sr.
You are not pulling the people togther and once you understand that you will make a bigger diffrence
For someone who knows so much you really do complain a lot about not having the information you need
It's either lying to make your self look good or you are a hypocrite
The lines I puppet are the questions that you need to answer for
While I do question the other half of the board too but you dont see that and understand that
I hold both sides accountable
But as you continue to write the same thing over and over too so why not answer the questions
So what is your sustainable solutions
What is your goals
What is your plans
These are all questions I have asked and you repeat some long diatribe that leads to the same answer
But when I ask about the audits and how we can find the answers thru the audit you say nothing
And I'll repeat I do not work for the school district
But why would care who I was are my questions not valid should I not have a say no matter who I am
As for the plan, it is well documented and repeated. A moral boar is on the way. God bless America.
Sincerely,
Citizen David F. Bradley Sr.
I challenge the citizen who just happens to be on the corrupt board for his proof of the things he said
When would you like to sit down and review the documents that got us here and discuss the path out.
The people discuss and decide.
We elect public servants, not authoritarian leaders.
The goals are to be established by law and the local community.
Options reviewed and a path taken. The path is to constantly reviewed, monthly, and confirmed it is still on track to the goal.
That is leadership as a public servant. Accurate reporting to the leaders, the stakeholders in this case. The board meeting are reports to the people, not the administration's report to the board. When the admin lacks the pertinent data, the people are disenfranchised. That is the evil in this system. You yourself lack data, and judge certain people, yet fail to see it is the duty of every board member to answer to you. We can not now, five evil people are chosing to be rubber-stampers. Dec 4.
How do you make any decsions
But why not post the information on the social media that you love to use to bash the other parts of this administration
Am I not a citizen dont I have the right to make decsions Based on the information that you have and put that against the information the other half of the board has
You want to give the kids they need and to cut things YOU dont think they need
What are the things you would cut
The invoices
The eye exam was a compromise but the other half of the board at first they wanted it as a replacement for the eye exam
And it was shown as not right for the older kids
But again if something was tabled or not brought up again dont you think there may be some things that is costing people a compromise maybe the lack of respect from one another which by the way david has said he doesnt care for respect
And th td bank thing I dont know enough about
The invoices was a mistake by someone who isnt here any more
And I do believe riding the person who caught it is uncalled for dont you
Well when it comes to retiring employees they said when they opened elementary center they would be over staffed and in the next couple years people would retire taking them down to the people they need
Didnt they offer these retiring employees last year a buy out
So which is it do we raise taxes some more so we can full fund schools or do we allow out side private companies help fund the the things kids need
You cant complain about both
But if it's about the education of the children why not bring up common core and how that's hurting the education of our children
Why not talk about how the stability at home needs to be addressed
Or bullying in our schools
How some kids the only meal they have all day is at school
Why is it always money
Why dont you talk about those things
Can you elaborate on your statement
"You people do is complain about"
Who are "you people"?
Sincerely,
Citizen David F. Bradley Sr.
Can you defend or deny any of these points?
Proud to be promoters of common sense and transparency. I am glad to see the moral majority takes over on Dec 4. Good bye to our past failed Treasurer, Andrew Yenser.
God bless America and the tribe voters kicking more to the curb.
Sincerely,
Citizen David F. Bradley Sr.
Why would I ever make decsion based off one man's opinion
Like you clearly like to do
Good morning. The FULL funding is already there. Excess really. A budget was proposed that reduces taxes, helping parent feed their children. We need to focus on the 38% who are below proficient, and less on the PIAA renting our field to collect the gate.
Businesses that have unsustainable budgets need more data to create a turn around plan. The District's consternation is the direct result of people like those in our adminstration that fail to collect and distribute information. They are the beneficiary of over consumption and the information chaos helps them, not us. As you report, many questions are still unanswered. Why?
Once you see that Rubber Stamping Rita asking people to downsize, as she voted to have the government grow nearly 10% in one year is just plain ignorant. And Larry's brown nosing his wife's boss is just sad. Wayne Wentz appear to barely understand the budget, ask him to explain why the district is currently unsustainable. God Bless that the failed past treasurer Andrew Yenser is gone. Lack of oversight cost this district enough. We need full transparency and Steve Holland admitting to not having or reading reports is just shameless. Voting to spend millions on luxury when the basic needs of our students are lacking is immoral.
If you spent half the time you spent here, reading the few reports the district was mandated to publish you would realize the money is there. The discipline to use it is missing. And that my dear, is the root of all evil. People like you give the stakeholder's power to individuals that don't have the character to even honor their oath of office.
As for Superintendent Cleaver and the new Business manager, related to the excessive costs concerning the BSI insurance, we can make our own conclusions once they release the policy and detailed financial records. Until then, you and everyone else, including the government we elected to oversee such things is in the dark.
Good for you in that you have opened the can of worms that is our unsustainable government without the moral majority to resolve it efficiently.until Dec 4. On Dec 4 things will change. Andy Yenser's failure to provide oversight has been kicked to the curb.
God bless America. You pose many good questions, and I hope your posts here remain as a testament to those defending the feckless five, and an administration that failed to protect the children. The era of a district that built a stadium before the brought books. And build a massive building with. a really, really, really big gymnasium in an elementary school. With test scores showing 38% testing as below proficient, we invited in the Wizards to play basketball.
This is not about more money, just moral goals focused on educating the students.
Sincerely,
Citizen David F. Bradley Sr.
39% is not the total of kids that didnt pass the efficacy tests it was 39% is the elementary center
Again transparency
Again the explanation of how the new fields are bringing extra revune should be discussed
I ask again and how do you know if its morally corrupt if you dont have all the info
At least we all agree the number of below proficient scores needs to be addressed
39% below proficient, 39%.
How is this acceptable?
Every parent should be concerned.
Yet, we have one parent voicing concerns that a board member accurately identifies our Board President's wife's boss as the district Superintendent, a subordinate to the board. And, the board president abdicated authority to his wife's boss, and fails to hold the Superintendent accountable to the unanimous board decisions. So where is his priorities, those getting paid, or those paying, those getting paid to teach, or those being taught. The immoral actions of the board need to stop.
Sincerely,
Citizen David F. Bradley Sr.
You and your cohorts continuously bring finances into a conversation not one time thru out this conversation did you bring up the education of the kids not until I brought it up did you wanna talk about
Not one time in the conversation at the meetings do you bring up common core and how it is terrible
For the education of the children of this community
And as I stated before how do you know if he abdicated his authority
If by and I quote you
That you get blocked from the information
So how do you make the assumption that he has done anything wrong
By the way by not posting all the numbers from the testing isnt very transparent
Which is exactly what you have a problem with
Is it cutting funding to school
Make things private
Is it cutting extra curricular
What is the plan moving forward and dont say transparency when you arent and never have been transparent
And when it comes to the 38%
Is there kids that just didnt take the test
What percentage didnt
What is the average state wide
What is the average of the kids that refuse to take the test
Or parents that opted not to have their kids take it
See there is more to the conversation then just 39%
It's called being open to more information then the information that makes you look good
How does interest payments educate children?
It also protects them from the crazy out side world
I personally feel better knowing there a better plan just in case something crazy happens
Did you know that when you fill out a college application the 2nd most important thing they look for is extracurriculars
So I dont see how ones more important
Or would you just rubber stamp the subordinate employee's report?