School Social Worker

 

Jenny Pilcher is BMS's Social Workers

School Social Work office:

Beaufort Middle School

100 Carraway Drive

Beaufort, NC 28516

(252) 728-3316 ext. 308230 (school)

(252) 728-2753 (fax)

 

email: [email protected] 

 

SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK SERVICES

School Social Workers serve as a link between the school, home and community.
As members of the educational team, school social workers promote and support students' academic and social success.

School social workers provide specialized services that may include:
◾Home visits - outreach to parents and families
◾Individual, group and family counseling
◾Crisis prevention and intervention
◾Social-developmental assessments
◾Parent education and training
◾Collaboration with other student services professionals and community agencies
◾Community resource information and referrals

School social workers help students to:
◾Improve attendance
◾Remain in school and graduate
◾Cope with crisis situations
◾Learn problem-solving and decision-making skills

School social workers support parents and families to:
◾Participate more fully in their children's education
◾Use school and community resources more effectively
◾Identify and meet their children's social and emotional needs

School social workers help educators to:

◾Develop and implement plans to enhance students' school success
◾Collaborate with community agencies and organizations
◾Coordinate services for individual families
◾Identify and report child abuse and neglect concerns
◾Obtain community resources to meet students' needs

Important Information Regarding School Attendance

1) It is the law in North Carolina that students between the ages of 7 and 16 attend school.  (G.S. 115C-378).

2) Once enrolled in public school, 5 and 6 year old students are bound by the compulsory attendance law.

3) It is important to be on time to school and avoid checking out early.

4) Parents/guardians must send in a written note explaining every absence of their student within 2 days returning to school.

5) If a note is not received, the absence will remain unexcused. 

6) Parents/guardians receive a letter of notification after 3, 6, and 10 unexcused absences.

7) Lawful reasons for an excused absence by the State of North Carolina include illness or injury, death in the immediate family, medical or dental appointment, court or administrative proceeding, pre and post deployment activity with parent/guardian, quarantine, religious observance and educational opportunities pre-approved by the principal.

8) If an elementary or middle school student accrues 16 or more absences, it may impact the student’s ability for promotion to the next grade.  A high school student with more than 8 absences in a class may not receive credit for that class.

9) If a student has excessive absences, the parent/guardian and student may be required to meet with the school social worker.  The parent/guardian and student may be required to sign an attendance contract and provide a doctor’s note for any further illness related absence.

10) After meeting with the school social worker, if the student continues experiencing unexcused absences, the parent/guardian or student may be prosecuted in court for breaking the compulsory attendance law.