Lorain Schools looks to expand counseling services

LORAIN — Lorain Schools is looking to expand its wraparound services to include counselors at each building. At a board of education work session Tuesday, members heard a presentation from Director of Operations Stephen Sturgill about the proposed expansion. The district wants to have counselors at each of its 14 buildings, including one bilingual individual, and two additional districtwide social workers. The high school now has seven counselors and four social workers, the middle school has three counselors, and district officials meet weekly with the Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery Services Board of Lorain County about more specialized interventions for students. In September, the district started rotating four social workers between the elementary schools to provide broad support to students and families. But data from the district's website of how often its online portal for counseling services was accessed showed a need at the elementary level, with more than 55 percent of requests for service for mental health needs. The district wants to use part of its almost $60 million in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds to boost wraparound services, including the additional counselors and social workers. The ESSER funds are available through fall 2024; after that, CEO Jeff Graham said the district will have to look to the general fund or other revenue sources to keep the much-needed positions. The districtwide positions would hopefully be licensed social workers, who would be able to provide more acute support to students and families, Sturgill said. Currently, the social workers in the district can only provide broad support, while more acute needs — including any mental health needs — must be filled through contract services with Beech Brook, LCADA Way, Bellefaire or other counseling programs. But those contracted services have felt the crunch of staffing shortages, leading to Bellefaire sending a letter to the district that it can't take on any new cases, Sturgill and Graham said. Director of Wraparound Services Stephanie Alexander-Johnson said the district is looking in Texas and on the East Coast for a bilingual counselor, with the hopes of having interviews for that position, and others as the school year winds down. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.