BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Jefferson County school leaders are investing more money and support into your student’s mental health. They recently approved next year’s budget to hire two new social workers to help ensure your child is doing well mentally and emotionally.
Superintendent Dr. Walter Gonsoulin says that with tens of thousands of students in Jefferson County Schools, the need for more social workers is critical to ensure students are successful not only in the classroom, but in their personal lives as well.
“We’re continuing to find ways to add social workers so that we can ensure that our children are not only educationally strong but mentally as well,” says Gonsoulin.
Dr. Gonsoulin mentions that adding two more social worker roles is something Jefferson County school leaders have been working on for the last few years, and he says they’ve come a long way.
“Five years ago when we started our strategic plan, we had one social worker for the whole district. Fast forward five years, I think we have anywhere from 10 to 20 people in that particular department,” says Gonsoulin.
These social workers work alongside school counselors and administrators to support students, especially during their time of need. Right now, they serve about 35,000 and over 4,000 faculty members, and since the pandemic, mental health has become one of their top priorities.
“Whether we have a child who passes away, which is unfortunate but does happen, or a staff member, we have something called our CARES team,” explains Gonsoulin. “The social workers are a part of that, and we deploy those social workers out to the schools to provide support and assistance for them. Being able to add two more positions is very critical.”
These social workers, along with the CARES team, address the needs of the students and their families, aiming to eliminate barriers they might be facing and provide resources and support.
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