School
Social Workers serve as the link between students' families and the
school. I collaborate with parents, guardians, teachers and other school
officials to ensure that students reach their academic and personal
potential to be globally productive citizens in the twenty-first
century. Support services are provided to students to motivate them to
be their best when they are faced with barriers such as; absenteeism,
abuse/neglect, pregnancy, addictions, poverty, homelessness, etc. Each
situation is assessed and individual plans are developed with the
student/family. Visit my Parent Resource Page for more information
Need a Helping Hand?
Everyone
needs a helping hand in one way or another at some time or another.
There are several resources that I frequently refer families to when
needs arise. I have listed a few of these below, but there are many more
services available that are not listed here. (See 211 information at
the bottom). If you need help finding resources that are not listed
here, please give me a call at 828-775-2608.
ABCCM 259-5300
American Red Cross 258-3888
Asheville Housing Authority 251-5054
Buncombe County DSS 250-5500
Buncombe County Health Dept. 250-5000
Eblen Charities 255-3066
Goodwill Career Center 298-9023
Helpmate (dom. viol. hotline #) 254-0516
Juvenile Justice 225-7330
Mobile Crisis 1-888-573-1006
Pisgah Legal Services 253-0406
Salvation Army 253-4723
WNC Community Health Services 285-0622
Western Carolina Rescue Min. 254-0471
You
can also dial 211 for a free community referral service. It is
available 24 hours a day and it can be accessed by computer at:
www.nc211.org.
School Supplies
Our
school has received generous donations from a very caring community
that wants to support our students. School supplies and other basic need
items are kept in the Counseling department when there is a need. Please
call me at 828-775-2608 if I can be of further assistance.
McKinney-Vento
McKinney-Vento
is the name of federal legislation that helps students stay in school
even if they “lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.”
Research shows that kids who transfer between schools lose up to 4
months of academic instruction due to the transition. McKinney-Vento is
designed to help keep kids in the same school despite being homeless. This applies NOT ONLY to kids who are homeless, but also to:
-
Children sharing housing due to economic hardship or loss of housing;
-
Children living in “motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camp grounds due to lack of alternative accommodations”
-
Children living in “emergency or transitional shelters"
-
Children whose primary nighttime residence is not ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation (e.g. park benches, etc)
-
Children living in “cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations…”
Students
in the above situations qualify for extra support so that they can stay
in their same school or their “school or origin.” Please let me know if
you or a student you know qualifies for the McKinney-Vento program.