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Handle With Care

Volume 56 - Issue 4, December 2022

Volume 56 - Issue 4, December 2022

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more social workers could allow students

to have more meaningful time to

speak with their social worker. Due to

the amount of social workers, students

typically receive 15 minutes to meet

with their social worker.

Maya mentioned being frustrated

that she felt her time was rushed as the

social worker had other students scheduled

to meet with after her.

Despite some concerns about the

length of meetings during the school

day, students can meet with their social

workers beginning at 7:45 a.m. and go

the event of a mental health emergency.

However, Maya feels that these policies

gency

appointments with social workers

are not supposed to be scheduled

during academic classes.

“Class shouldn’t be the most important

thing in [a mental health] scenario,”

Maya said. “Getting back to my English

lesson shouldn’t be more important

than [saying], ‘Hey, I’m going through

something right now, and I need to talk

about it.’”

Despite Maya feeling as though social

workers do not have the time to

meaningfully address her concerns,

some students describe having valuable

relationships with their social workers.

Kroc, who often visits her social

worker, thinks that social workers facilitate

positive relationships with their

students partly through outreach in

advisories.

“I’m super comfortable going to my

social worker; I believe that we have a

super strong connection,” Kroc said.

“Advisory as a freshman was really, really

helpful [for] introducing our social

workers.”

Alongside outreach in freshman advisories,

the “Report a Concern” program

is one way SSTs identify students

they need to meet with. By scanning a

QR code on signs around Stevenson,

students can alert the administration

of observed concerns, including mental

health struggles. According to Bowen,

it is also common for students to walk

to Student Services to alert teachers and

gists

or counselors.

“I’m so proud that our students do

such a good job of looking out for one

another and taking care of one another,”

Bowen said. “They are often the

share concerns about their friends and

their peers.”

Bowen estimates that it is more common

for students to report concerns

in-person as opposed to through the

website. However, many students, including

Kroc, have still used the website

after witnessing a safety concern.

Administrators check the website each

school day so any concern is addressed

quickly.

“I submitted a report, and the next

day I had to write a statement with my

dean,” Kroc said. “I think people just

need to know [that Report a Concern

is] there and utilize it when they need

to.”

Kroc reported a safety concern due

to a teacher, but some students feel that

cult.

Students like Maya are reluctant to

report other students because it seems

like a breach of trust.

one’s going to report their friend…[because

it feels like] you’re going behind

their back and telling an adult something

that is very private,” Maya said.

Some students may also feel hesitant

reaching out to social workers

due to mandated reporting. Mandated

reporting is the duty of social workers

and psychologists to alert appropriate

authorities—including parents—if

students disclose information indicating

that they are in danger of harming

themselves or others.

“That’s our challenge:

how do we get the word

out and also make sure

we’re accessible for

students’ needs?”

Janet Sushinski,

Social Worker

hesitancy some may feel, they want to

convey that mandated reporting allows

students to be safer. Social workers like

Sushinski also advocate for students to

review mandated reporting rules with

their social worker at the beginning of

an appointment.

Sushinski said. “I always tell students…

to use the ‘what if’ scenario; ‘Hey, Ms.

Sushinski, what if somebody told you

that their parent threw a plate across

that be something you have to report?’”

Sushinski believes that students asking

if a hypothetical problem will be

reported and disclosing personal details

allows them to know which details

need to be reported for their safety. In

Sushinski’s example, she would not need

to report the information. However,

social workers aren’t the only mandated

reporters; any safety concerns that stu-

reported to the Department of Children

and Family Services and SSTs.

their teachers about their problems because

they are more familiar with their

teachers than their SST. Bowen says

that all Stevenson faculty participate in

mental health training once a year, so

teachers are able to talk with students

or refer them to their SSTs in the case

of an emergency. Although teachers can

take the initiative to alert SSTs, Kroc

encourages students to seek out their

social worker directly to handle mental

health concerns.

“I think a lot of students just don’t

realize that you can have a casual conversation

with your social worker and

[create a] plan, whether [the issue is]

academic or personal,” Kroc said. “My

social worker and I work weekly together

and a lot of the things that we

talk about are just personal life issues,

challenges and also [my] personal traits

and characteristics.”

*Name changed to protect anonymity

www.statesmanshs.org • 19

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