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Board recognizes National School Social Work Week, highlights 15 social workers' caseloads
Summary
The Saint Mary's County Board of Education adopted a resolution recognizing National School Social Work Week and acknowledged the district’s 15 licensed social workers and their recent caseloads, including nearly 1,300 students served and roughly 2,400 crisis walk‑in sessions last year.
The Saint Mary's County Board of Education on March 12 adopted a resolution recognizing National School Social Work Week and thanked the district’s school social work team for supporting student mental health.
The resolution, signed by the board, praises school social workers as licensed mental health professionals and notes their role in “supporting the mental health and well‑being of our students,” according to remarks read at the meeting by a board staff member.
The board recognized individual social workers by name: Precious Applewhite (Esperanza Middle School), Lori Brennan (Margaret Brent Middle School), Alexis Broom (Piney Point and Greenview Knolls Elementary), Shanice Fenwick (Leonardtown Middle School), Tamika Johnson (Leonardtown Elementary and Chesapeake Charter School), Melanie Ladig (Benjamin Banneker and Evergreen Elementary), and Lindsay Robison (Chopticon High School). The presenter said the full team now numbers 15 and serves the district’s approximately 16,500 students.
“We wanted to take a moment to recognize and celebrate the invaluable role of the school’s social workers,” the presenter said. “They are the lifeline for many students facing challenges that impact their ability to learn, grow, and thrive.”
A summary presented at the meeting said the social work team saw nearly 1,300 students last year, including about 500 students enrolled in a 12‑week ongoing counseling program, and conducted almost 2,400 crisis walk‑in sessions. The presenter and the resolution text framed those services as filling gaps where community services are unavailable or have long wait lists.
Board members and the presenter encouraged the public to acknowledge the week and the staff who provide school‑based mental health supports.
The board did not record a separate roll‑call vote in the transcript for the resolution; the document presented was signed and entered into the record.
