Portal LoginSummary of Social Services
The Judson ISD Counseling Program provides services to all students on the district campuses. This year the Social Service Provider Program included sixteen social service providers on thirteen campuses. A full time social service provider and at least one counselor serve Judson High School, Kirby Middle School, Woodlake Hills Middle School, Kitty Hawk Middle School, Hopkins Elementary, Park Village Elementary, Paschall Elementary and Candlewood Elementary. A half-time social service provider and one school counselor per campus serve Converse Elementary, Miller's Point Elementary, Coronado Village Elementary, Elolf Elementary, Woodlake Elementary and Judson Alternative School. Each campus receives services a minimum of two and one half days per week. This report is intended to summarize and identify the diverse scope of services as well as the frequency of services provided by the district-counseling program.
The school counselors work with the school faculty and staff, students, parents and community to plan, implement, and evaluate a developmental guidance and counseling program. The school counselor shall design the program to include:
- a guidance curriculum to help students develop their full educational potential; a responsive services component to intervene on behalf of any student whose immediate personal concerns or problems put the student's continued educational, career, personal, or social development at risk;
- an individual planning system to guide a student as the student plans, monitors, and manages the student's own educational, career, personal, and social development; and
- system support to support the efforts of teachers, staff, parents, and other members of the community in promoting the educational, career, personal, and social development of students.
The primary responsibility of a school counselor is to counsel students to fully develop each student's abilities. Additionally, the school counselor shall:
- participate in planning, implementing, and evaluating a comprehensive development guidance program to serve all students and to address the special needs of students who are at risk of dropping out of school, becoming substance abusers, participating in gang activity, or committing suicide; or in need of modified instructional strategies;
- consult with a student's parent or guardian and make referrals as appropriate in consultation with the student's parent or guardian;
- consult with school staff, parents, and other community members to help them increase the effectiveness of student education and promoter student success;
- coordinate people and resources in the school, home, and community;
- interpret standardized test results and other assessment data that help a student make educational and career plans; and
- deliver classroom guidance activities or serve as a consultant to teachers conducting lessons based on the school's guidance curriculum.
Social services are provided on each campus to meet the specific needs of the populations represented on the campus. An assessment for individual or group counseling service and referral to appropriate agencies is provided to students. Services are provided with the goal of removing barriers attaining each student's educational goals. Additionally, special counseling groups are organized to address problems in the areas of goal setting, communication skills with parents, peer relationships, stress management, decision making, problem solving, developing better social skills, and conflict resolution. Special needs groups are offered for children whose families have been impacted by divorce, grief, loss, or trauma. New students are given special attention during their time of transition. The Social Workers and Counselors employ crisis intervention and prevention services. Interventions included consulting with administration and staff, as well as individual and group counseling. Social Service Providers work very closely with the school counselors in meeting the needs of our at-risk student population.
Each of the campuses has different programs that are designed to meet the needs of that campus. On several of the elementary campuses, social service providers have set up a clothes closet for needy student. Candlewood Elementary established the Hora de Cafe', a monthly educational support group for Spanish speaking parents. At several campuses Family Festivals, daylong family-focused child abuse prevention fair, are held annually. Social service personnel provided information to staff members concerning child abuse/neglect and procedures for reporting and recognizing cases of abuse. Park Village sponsors a week long Father's Week to build pride in the school and bring Father's on campus to meet the teachers each year. These services represent only a small example of the many ways that this program is meeting the needs of our students, parents, and faculty members.
School/Community Social Service Providers supervise several social worker interns from area colleges. The interns help provide assistance to students and parents as part of their requirement for earning a college or university degree.
Social service providers and school counselors provide valuable crisis assistance to students and teachers as a result of the deaths in the community and district. All campuses have a crisis team consisting of counselors, nurses, and social service provider. The district will send crisis team members from one campus to another when the situation dictates the need for extensive support services.
Each year, efforts have been made to improve the services provided on the campuses. The program has been very successful in providing assistance to our students and their families.