The Mascenic School District is using state grant funds to provide additional counseling services for students that qualify for Extended School Year services.
The school has identified students whose individual education plan, or IEP, calls for summer services. The district is using a portion of a $6,000 grant to extend counseling services over those summer months.
As of mid-June, 42 students district-wide had been enrolled in the Extended School Year, or about one-third of students with an IEP.
District Superintendent Chris Martin said now, more than ever, students have been exposed to stress, and a disruption of their normal routine, with the school year ending without in-person instruction, and their Extended School Year services continuing online.
“We know there’s been an impact to their social and emotional needs, due to the separation from their peers and their social life,” Martin said. “We’re looking to provide some consistency in services for those kids over the summer.”
The counselor is scheduled to check in with students over the summer, to provide support and additional resources, as well as developing a Social Emotional Learning curriculum. The curriculum can be used by both students and parents, and would be available online and in-person. The curriculum would include lessons as well as tips for how to encourage students to manage their emotions.
The counselor is also expected to create a district school counseling website to provide that information to parents, educators and students.
The remainder of the grant funds is to be used to purchase software designed to help identify and target student’s weaknesses for better intervention in those areas.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.