Social workers in district plans

Deemed extra layer of help

SPRINGDALE — On any given school day, a child will need clothing, shoes or a coat.

Others will need eye exams, medicine or to see a doctor.

The Springdale School District has a variety of programs to help with those needs. School officials connect families with organizations to assist with food, some schools offer classes for parents, a social services office helps with clothing and medical needs, and summer mobile libraries keep students in contact with teachers.

Hiring social workers would provide another layer of support in a school district where 71 percent of the 21,527 students in 2016-17 were from low-income families, said Megan Slocum, associate superintendent of curriculum and instruction.

It’s an idea district leaders will spend this coming school year studying, Deputy Superintendent Jared Cleveland told the School Board at a July workshop.

The needs of families pull principals away from their campuses for home visits, Cleveland said.

“One big ask is to have additional help,” Cleveland said.

Nearly 70 licensed social workers worked in schools across the state during the 201617 school year, according to records from the Arkansas Department of Education. The Rogers School District employed the most, with seven on staff.

Rogers pays their salaries with state money the district gets for students in poverty and for students in an alternative learning environment, spokesman Ashley Siwiec said. Their salaries totaled $379,410 in the 2016-17 school year.

Other school districts in Northwest Arkansas with licensed social workers on staff are Bentonville, Fayetteville and Pea Ridge.

The discussion in Springdale reflects the changes in the district’s demographics, J.O. Kelly Principal Sara Ford said. She has worked in the district 28 years and continuously for the past 23 years, she said.

“Our number of kids who receive free and reduced-price lunches has increased,” she said. “Our number of families who are English language learners has increased significantly during that time. With that comes just additional needed support for families as they move into the community, as they acclimate into our community and learn about the resources that are here.”

The campus after-school program serves 150 students who stay at school from 3:15 to 5:45 p.m. each day, Ford said. A federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers program pays for the services.

“A lot of our parents work from the 3-11 [p.m.] shift,” Ford said. “It just provides kids a great place to be that’s positive so they can be involved in positive activities.”

Ford has made some home visits. Her staff has purchased athletic shoes and cheerleading uniforms for students. One student qualified to attend a camp for students who participated in the Duke University Talent Identification Program but couldn’t afford the cost. The teachers paid for her to go.

“They really don’t ask,” Ford said. “That’s the beauty of our kids. They do not ask. I am not aware of one kid asking. Our staff just looks around and sees the need.”

Principals have discussed having social workers in the district for several years, she said. J.O. Kelly, a sixth- and seventh-grade campus where students range from 11 to 13 years old, has a long list of resources and partners for assisting families.

Responding to the variety of needs of children and families enhances a child’s ability to learn at school, Ford said.

“Now we’re the ones who do the legwork,” Ford said. “We love doing it. There’s also plenty of other things we need to do.”

When calls come from school nurses, principals or counselors as they do most school days, the district’s social services assistant Beverly Charleton will respond. She works within the district’s nursing office.

In 2016-17, Springdale School District spent $35,000 on social services, said Kathy Launder, the district’s nursing supervisor.

Charleton will follow up with parents to determine whether, for example, a child is wearing a pair of shoes with holes because the family can’t afford new shoes or because he grabbed an old pair from the back of his closet.

Charleton coordinates providing school supplies to students who need help at the beginning of the school year. The social services office doesn’t have everything on the school supply list but can provide items such as pencils, paper, rulers, glue and folders.