GaDOE School Social Work Appreciation Week

School Social Workers

The Heartbeat of Schools

Step into any school, and you can feel life and energy flowing through the hallways - the joy of the children, the excitement of teachers, the thrill of possibilities.
But underneath the chaos of emotion and activity, you can also feel the pulse of commitment and care, the steady beat of consistent attention to those often forgotten, the soothing rhythm of check-ins and check-ups, and the intricate choreography of pulling people together to support families.

That is because of our School Social Workers.

Often undetected, the perseverance and provision of these fearless individuals make a significant difference in the lives of our students.

And we are so thankful for all they do.

The Stories

We are able to provide some breathing room to give stability and remove barriers to the education of our students.

James Eustis, Houston County Schools

The challenges Houston County faced involved their homeless families. The school system provided school supplies, backpacks, and help with transportation to and from school, but they realized that these families needed other types of assistance, even if it was temporary, to help the kids succeed in school. The families were experiencing crisis and homelessness, and there are very few family homeless shelters in the area. Often, families were evicted or kicked out by other family members and had limited resources to prevent them from being on the streets.

The Houston County strategy was to provide some temporary financial assistance with specific criteria in the form of motel short stays and limited rental assistance. The school system teamed up with Robins Financial Credit Union which provided a grant to aid families most in need; this generous donation offers funding assistance in the form of 3-7 days’ motel and rental assistance. By providing this support, families are able to gain a bit of breathing room to access community resources and figure out what their next moves need to be.

School Social Workers receiving an award

(My work) reflects a trauma-informed approach by providing information to families in a simple format without the distraction of irrelevant resources.

Christine Brown, Walker County Schools

The challenge Walker County observed was connecting families with community resources. They have heard time and again from families and school staff how they "don’t have enough resources." But after inventorying accessible resources, leaders realized it was a distribution problem.

The stress of a crisis might make it hard for families to conduct research or filter through the endless results from a Google search. Additionally, printing pages of information isn't practical for this audience.
Brown used a newsletter platform to create resource guides for multiple topics, including housing, utility, food, medical care, mental health, and clothing. Then she designed a one-page flyer with all the QR links to be shared in print form. School staff can now share a resource guide for a specific topic by text, Class Dojo, email, or on social media sites or give parents a one-page printed sheet with all the QR codes.

Sharing the resource guides in a digital format has empowered families to advocate for their needs and build new connections with community partners. Creating the resource guides by topic is a simple idea, but it reflects a trauma-informed approach by providing information to families in a simple format without the distraction of irrelevant resources.

Parents and family members looking at a computer

I initiated an SSW Professional Learning Community (PLC) to strategically collaborate with a team focused on evidence-based practices following the MTSS approach.

Bethany Miller, Cobb County Schools

To reduce student absences due to disciplinary consequences, specifically among the economically disadvantaged student subgroup, Miller initiated an SSW Professional Learning Community (PLC) to strategically collaborate on evidence-based practices following the MTSS approach. The pilot group has increased its capacity for data literacy, and members also include district leadership, which has supported the norming of administrators to make school social work referrals for positive behavior interventions.

Due to this collective efficacy, the PLC team members have been successful this school year in integrating the school PBIS teams and Building Leadership Teams (BLT), facilitating regular SEL groups within ISS and IEL classrooms, and becoming key participants in Chronic Discipline and YDC Re-entry Meetings. They have initiated collaborations with the Student Assistance Wellness Team to provide Brief Functional Behavior Assessments, and they have positively affected climate change with communication protocols to protect student confidentiality.

The survey not only successfully identified students facing food insecurity but also provided an open outlet for students to express other social-emotional concerns and request to speak with a counselor.

Abigail Ayers, Calhoun City Schools

Calhoun City is a Title 1 school district, and the SSW was concerned that some students with unmet needs might be falling through the cracks. To address this, she developed a survey for elementary students to gather data on food insecurity ahead of Thanksgiving break. She was surprised by the number of students who reported not having enough food at home.

In response, she met with each student individually and worked with their families to connect them to community resources. Additionally, she partnered with a local community agency to create food bags for each student to take home over the break. The survey not only successfully identified students facing food insecurity but also provided an open outlet for students to express other social-emotional concerns and request to speak with a counselor.

The 1st virtual PositiviTEA resulted in parents attending a school event, enjoying their tea, and actively engaging in self-care.

Cassandra Doss, Georgia Cyber Academy

The barrier faced by the Georgia Cyber Academy (GCA) was gaining parents' buy-in and helping them understand the importance of setting aside time for themselves.

GCA social workers mailed 71 self-care packages and orchestrated a virtual event for parents and families. Through careful coordination of logistics and tracking to make sure each package reached its recipient before the event date, the 1st virtual PositiviTEA resulted in parents attending a school event, enjoying their tea, and actively engaging in self-care. Many provided encouraging feedback, expressing a desire for the event to continue in the future.

I am truly grateful for the resources they offer, as they have made it much easier to assist families in situations that would have previously been challenging to resolve on my own.

Jessica Evans, Monroe County Schools

Affordable housing is a significant issue in Monroe County, situated along I-75 between Macon and Atlanta, and they have a substantial homeless population. The district developed a partnership with ReloShare to help address the student and family needs specific to their district. ReloShare has been an invaluable partner in streamlining the process of providing housing support within their program.

Henry County Schools has a lot of positive things happening for students. Shonta Williams leads the See Something-Say Something initiative focused on anti-bullying and raising awareness about teen dating violence. She sponsors the Peer Mediation and Student Engagement Club, and they organize programs aimed at promoting awareness and fostering a safe, nurturing, and inclusive school environment.

Additionally, Sonja Lyons is working to address student vaping withing the school system. Currently, students are being expelled and punished with no education about the adverse effects of vaping. Lyons implemented a Parent Awareness Meeting (PAM) to educate parents and students about the health consequences of vaping in hopes of decreasing the use of vapes.

Glynn County School Social Workers have been blessed with exceptional community partners.

Marcyline Bailey, Glynn County Schools

Glynn County Schools have faced the challenge of developing active and sustainable community partnerships that expand the reach and impact of limited resources. The SSW have worked to overcome this challenge by proactively participating in community-sponsored events, serving in leadership positions in community organizations, and facilitating communication by inviting staff of other agencies to monthly School Social Work department meetings.
Glynn County School Social Workers have been blessed with exceptional community partners. They have received donations of school supplies and backpacks courtesy of the Glynn County Sherriff’s Department. They also received additional supplies and backpacks to distribute to students who are without stable or permanent housing through a grant awarded to the school system. The Family Connection Partnership of Glynn answered a request for help in creating hygiene and laundry kits. The Partnership collected items and donated over 400 hygiene kits, 200 laundry kits and socks to be distributed to students and families in need. Also, Glynn County Schools were recently contacted by a local store chain that donated discontinued inventory.
SSWs have also developed a close relationship with a local non-profit that supports children involved in the foster care system. In addition to providing the department with occasional meeting space, this organization has provided trauma-informed training to the SSW department at no cost. They have developed an ongoing relationship with a local credit union that recently collected gently-worn and new coats for students. Finally, Glynn County SSWs have a long-standing, ongoing relationship with the Exchange Club of Brunswick and the Fraternal Order of Police. The Exchange Club distributed 150 bikes to school aged children. The Fraternal Order of Police shopped with over 100 school-aged children.