First of two parts

“At any time, you can go through a crisis. We’re helping kids, and we’re helping families,” said Nicolette Teles, Northampton Area School District supervisor of grants and special programs.

Teles spoke during a presentation titled “Building Strong Foundations: The Social Worker’s Role in Schools,” at the Sept. 11 NASD Board of Education meeting.

The 24-page, 30-minute PowerPoint presentation, in addition to Teles, included Steff Breininger, NASD school-based social worker; Jenn Borzillo, NASD K-12 counseling coordinator; and Jenn Getz, NASD school-based social worker.

The concept of NASD’s “Strong Foundation” is based on symbolic “bricks” - resilience: strengthening against challenges; crisis intervention: handling cracks; empowerment: building confidence; community: extending reach; foundation: well-being; and communication: bridging gaps.

Teles said schools are challenged more than ever to provide for students’ emotional, mental and physical well-being.

In addition to providing K-12 students with education and academic achievement, Pennsylvania school districts deal with other issues and state and federal requirements, such as clinical anxiety and depression among youth, school safety, trauma-informed education, recognition of the rights of persons with disabilities, changes in the family unit and family dynamics and effects of increasing social, economic and academic pressures on children.

There are family variables that can impact student achievement, according to the presentation, such as access to health care, transportation issues, homelessness, food insecurity, family dynamics, availability of appropriate services and wait lists, language barriers, cultural differences, time constraints, familiarity with how to navigate social services and stigma about mental health treatment.

According to the presentation, based on Pennsylvania Department of Education-required reporting on subgroups, NASD students experiencing homelessness is 22, as of Sept. 8, down from 48 in 2020; students who are immigrants total 52, as of 2022, up from two in 2020; NASD students who are multilingual is 100, as of 2023, up from 42 in 2020; NASD students who are low income is 42.67%, up from 35.64% in 2020; NASD students who are in foster care is 24 in 2022, up from 14 in 2020; and NASD students who reside with a guardian other than a parent total 31 as of 2022, up from 25 in 2020.

The board of education will meet 6:30 p.m. Oct. 11 in the auditorium at Northampton Area High School, 1619 Laubach Ave.

Up next is social workers, counselors, psychologists, community partners and goals.