After lengthy public comment, and at times heated debate among board members, the Kutztown School Board discussed revisiting the Communities in Schools agreement at the Aug. 5 meeting.
Laurel Ziegler proposed under new business that a motion be put on the Aug. 19 agenda for the board to vote on an agreement with Communities in Schools to provide integrated student supports at the middle school for 2024-25. With United Way grants secured by CIS and a donation of $12,500 by Kutztown Strong, there would be no cost to the district. Previously, the cost to the district would have been $7,500.
“It is our legal and ethical obligation to be voting based on facts and evidence as is part of our policy and there has been no evidence that we should not be accepting a free donation from a community organization for a no-cost addition to our school,” said Ziegler. “I welcome any further evidence that folks might have.”
The different circumstances present the ability for a reconsideration vote at the next meeting, according to the solicitor.
Timothy Mulligan of Breinigsville, president and CEO of Communities in Schools of Eastern PA, Inc., told the board that he is grateful for the partnership with the Kutztown administration and values the partnership with Kutztown Strong.
He said the CIS Board recently voted to revise its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion statement, a long process that began last year after Brandywine Heights Area School District raised concerns.
“We made these changes after listening to yourselves as well and we knew that we needed to communicate better and more transparently in who we are and what we do,” Mulligan said.
Disappointed in the board’s July 15 vote, Mulligan hoped their student-centered approach, their responsiveness to feedback and their focus on every child and unlocking their potential would have spoken to the value of their work.
Mulligan is hopeful that the door will be open to a partnership in the future.
Public Comments
Parents urged the board to reconsider the agreement with CIS and reinstate the social worker position. One middle schooler said the social worker was someone students could talk to no matter what; her leaving will affect many students.
Parent of two Eric Johnson of Maxatawny — a former Kutztown School Board member and a history professor at Kutztown University — said Policy 11 gives the board a responsibility to base its decisions on data and also to operate with transparency.
“That is not what has been happening here,” said Johnson. “The decision to dismiss the social worker was not only not done with any data to support that decision but was done against all of the data that does show the benefits of having the services for our students, especially those who are most in need.”
Johnson said his child needs services provided by support staff.
“Anything that diminishes those available services directly affects my child,” he said.
Allison Fuller, parent of a 2024 graduate, shared her daughter’s story, with her permission.
“As a parent, there’s no manual. When your child has a crisis of any kind, you’re going to do everything in your power, and, if needed, you’re going to find resources. Over the last three years I have done that and I have zero complaints,” said Fuller.
Her daughter had access through CIS to a social worker on a consistent basis her senior year.
Reading an excerpt from her daughter’s scholarship application essay, Fuller said: “I am here today and graduated because of the social worker I was able to work with. I am now in a brighter place working as a pharmacy technician for a local hospital and know what tools to use and when.”
To the board, Fuller said: “I need you to know a difference was made and I ask that you work together to find a way to keep social workers in our schools. The need for these services is not going to lesson and it’s our responsibility as a community to make more stories like mine happen.”
Robyn Underwood of Kutztown, parent of one graduate and one still enrolled, believes it is very important to have a social worker in Kutztown’s schools.
“I have been watching mental illness rise for many years. I have been in the university setting and my husband is also a professor. It doesn’t end when they graduate from high school. They go on and struggle when they get to college,” she said.
Underwood believes it would be better to “nip it in the bud” at the elementary and middle school level and have high schoolers leaving strong and ready, resilient.
Grandparent Warren Becker of Maxatawny believes the CIS contract was terminated for ideological concerns and before any plans were made to find an alternative method to provide similar services. He said the district has vulnerable students and families who were served by CIS and now a gap in services exists to meet their needs.
“Everyone needs to acknowledge that in collaborative decision making, differing ideologies will always arise,” said Becker.
In future, he said ideological issues should be placed in the proper context with the decisions that are at hand.
Kutztown Strong
Kutztown Strong President Susan Collier told the board that the volunteer-based nonprofit grassroots coalition — including representatives from the district, law enforcement, council, churches, service organizations, KU, business owners, physicians, Caron — provides programs and activities that support the behavioral health and wellbeing of local children, youth and families.
Kutztown Strong received training on the Communities That Care Coalition model from Penn State University’s evidence-based prevention and intervention support center to help identify risk and protective factors that affect youth.
Collier said Kutztown Strong acknowledges the value of having social workers in school buildings and asked the board to reconsider their donation.
“This would allow the district to provide the necessary social work services to our most vulnerable population this coming school year on day one while together we investigate ways to provide high quality in-house social work services in the future.”
Kutztown Strong was also in favor of a behavioral health coordinator.
“We look forward to a future where we continue to build partnerships with all residents within our district and with neighboring school districts to strengthen the resolve of the next generation for as many young people as possible,” Collier said. “We believe we are stronger together.”
Sheryl McKlveen, community coordinator for Kutztown Strong since 2015, said Kutztown Strong’s focus is improving on the health and wellbeing of students.
“We understand there are always several ways to achieve this goal. We hold the ambiguous position of believing the continuation of CIS services is an undeniable asset for our students and families,” said McKlveen. “And should be reconsidered.”
She said a 2018 survey through KU and Friend Inc. showed that 25% of Kutztown area families were having difficulty finding and accessing behavioral health services for their child or family member.
Sixteen local organizations — including Friend, Inc., United Way, KU departments of counseling and social Work, Berks Community Health Services and CONCERN — volunteered to find a solution. The group connected with United Way and their regional partner Communities in Schools of Eastern PA in spring 2020.
With the goal of adding CIS services in the middle schools of Kutztown, Brandywine Heights and Fleetwood, Kutztown Strong organized fundraising events and grant writing initiatives which netted grants totaling $165,000, she said.
CIS services were further augmented through a social work internship program supervised by McKlveen that delivered over 5,000 hours of services to local children, youth and families.
“We have never received anything but positive feedback regarding Kutztown Strong’s partnership with the district or CIS’s outcomes which is why we believe and financially support the continuation of CIS,” said McKlveen.
As an alternative, she asked the district consider partnering again with Kutztown Strong to bring experts to the table to find comprehensive solutions.
Kutztown Strong member Hallie Schumacher of Maxatawny, a retired 30-year school counsellor for Kutztown Middle School, said school counselors and social workers assist students in need of emotional, behavioral and academic support. Both strive to help students maximize their potential and achievement.
“Although social workers and school counselors compliment one another’s mission to support our students, they go about reaching that goal in distinctly different ways,” she said.
A school counselor provides comprehensive services to all students by delivering a school-wide counseling program that supports and guides student growth in academic, social emotional and career development. Their primary focus is on helping students succeed academically and intervene when students struggle within a school setting, she said.
In contrast, Schumacher said a social worker works with the district’s most vulnerable students and look beyond the confines of the classroom and school to identify impediments, including socioeconomic factors, behavioral challenges, childhood trauma, drugs, suicide, bullying, neglect and abuse.
“We all know it’s vital to catch all of these issues as early as possible to prevent them from becoming full-blown problems that hamper a child’s chances to be successful throughout the rest of their lives,” she said.
Schumacher was happy to be a part of the CIS partnership at the middle school prior to her retirement.
“They were a huge asset to our kids, to our staff, to our parents and to our entire school community as a whole,” she said. “Our students responded so incredibly positively. They’ve helped kids in substantial and measurable data-driven ways. Just as importantly, they’ve helped kids in so many immeasurable ways to help ensure that they find the success they so deserve.”
Facebook Debate
There was also heated discussion regarding board member Ziegler’s Facebook post after the July 15 meeting.
“The public outrage on this really has been very strong and swift and clear,” Ziegler said about the response to the post. “Overwhelmingly the sentiment was of strong concern, anger and dismay at the reasoning that was given in the last board meeting to vote down and vote against this position.”
Ziegler shared concerns over the ideological expressions given at the last meeting.
“There is no place for that in our school district and in our roles as elected officials,” she said. “This is a non-political role and we are here wholly and completely to serve our students and our local community.”
Citing the CIS end of year report, she said positive impacts include improved attendance, behavior and academics.
“The evidence as we look through this is absolutely overwhelmingly of the positive data-driven impact,” said Ziegler. “Absolutely no data has been presented that we should not be in full support of accepting the community donation and accepting the work of CIS moving forward.”
Reading a prepared statement, Jeremiah Light argued that her post on “her campaign Facebook page” following a board majority vote to not continue the agreement with CIS contained “false and incomplete information.”
Light said Ziegler is correct about this being about politics.
“However, the politics are not coming from us. Communities in Schools Eastern PA fully and completely supports DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) on their website,” he said. “They did say they are changing that but we’ll see because it is still there.”
“It is our goal to keep the schools as politics free as possible,” said Light.
He argued that the CIS website under the DEI tab clearly states, “Diversity, equity and inclusion, our core values,” making it seem as though CIS wishes to bring politics in the school.
“I’m not saying the person that was here did at all; I’m saying the company that we were supposed to have an agreement with was bringing it in,” said Light.
Calling on Ziegler to issue an apology to the board and public and to remove her post from Facebook, Light argued that “as far as high-fiving in the parking lot, that is far from the truth. If for one minute anyone thinks we took any joy in removing any kind of help for students, you are sadly mistaken.”
Ziegler argued that her post was made on her elected official page and she would be communicating with constituents and members of the community.
“It is not appropriate to have personal attacks on specific fellow board members or members of the community,” she said in response to his comments about her.
Behavioral health service coordinator
The board unanimously approved the creation of a K-12 behavioral health service coordinator position.
Requirements include experience in a K-12 school setting preferred, minimum bachelor’s degree preferably in social work, psychology, or a related field, and preferred PDE Social Work Certification; PA Department of State Licensed Social Worker or Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Salary would be determined by their qualifications.
Administration recommends the district apply a $125,000 physical or mental behavioral health safety grant through the state Department of Education to this position.
In response to concerns about the case load across all levels, Temchatin said that covering K-12 versus one building “that you’re going to be spending more time with the students who have the greatest need versus the number of students that were able to be served only at the middle school.”
Also, he said the K-12 behavioral health service coordinator would be a different model from the previous CIS social worker position and that there would be some transition.
“From the beginning when we started this conversation, we targeted the middle level because we felt that was the most critical piece, not because it was the only piece, just because of the nature of adolescence and their needs,” said Temchatin.
The reality of being able to have someone in every building is probably not financially realistic, he said.
“We can cover the greatest need and develop those relationships at the points of greatest need,” he said.
Ziegler was optimistic to see an opportunity to have two full-time resources back in the schools next year. This past year Kutztown had a high school CIS social worker and a middle school CIS social worker.
Caecilia M. Holt questioned if interns would be supervised under the new coordinator.
Temchatin said only if that person is qualified, otherwise, Kutztown University would be requested to supervise the interns.
Daniel Wismer agreed with public comments that there is a need for student support and said concerns were valid in trying to tackle issues early. He is excited about the ability to have a K-12 expanded position instead of just serving a quarter of the school population.
“It’s opening up more success stories to the entire school population and at earlier levels,” said Wismer.
Also in favor of an in-house position, Wismer said this is an opportunity to tailor the program to what Kutztown needs without the constraints of an outside entity.
Source: Berkshire mont
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