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Q&A
Awareness and accessibility of support services in schools
7:42:19
ยท
133 sec
Council Member Rita Joseph inquires about students' awareness of support services in their schools, including mental health services and guidance counselors. Students share their experiences with the availability and accessibility of these services.
- Some schools have limited mental health resources or difficulty accessing counselors
- One student mentioned that access to a social worker was limited to students with IEPs after freshman year
- Another student reported not knowing about the existence of a social worker in their school for three years
Rita Joseph
7:42:19
Are you aware of the support services in your school?
7:42:23
Has anyone talked to you about mental health service, guidance counselors,
Janice C.
7:42:26
and other services to support you?
7:42:28
For my school, health is very pushed.
7:42:33
Luckily, I'm privileged enough that my school has these opportunities, but it's not as expansive as I would like and it's not as expansive as students would be able to use to really benefit their education.
Hadia A.
7:42:53
For my school, we have very limited mental health resources and while I have a social worker, after my freshman year she made me aware that it was kind of a privilege for me to see her because after my freshman year if you didn't have an IEP you were not allowed to have access to a social worker which is the only mental health support that is really in my
Orla F.
7:43:15
school.
7:43:18
In my school I'd say we do have some mental health supports but it is difficult to make appointments with counselors, especially college counselors.
7:43:28
So you can't really, although those services are there you can't exactly access those in a timely manner.
Nora A.
7:43:37
In my school we do have resources but they're not as promoted as they should be and also it's really hard to get ahold of our counselor because like the work we do, it's a CTE school so we have extra work that we have to do so even if you want to meet with your counselor, she might not be there or like he might not be there at the time that you need them.
7:43:59
Yeah.
Melolo F.
7:44:00
In my school, there's I think one social worker and they formally introduced themselves to us now which I believe is ridiculous because I'm a junior and I went through three years of school without knowing that we have a social worker and regardless with 3,500 kids, one is not enough and they don't even come every day.
7:44:20
They come I think Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday which is not enough help and resources that our school needs.
Rita Joseph
7:44:28
So that means they're split between another school.
7:44:31
Right.