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Parents urge Neshaminy School District to restore full-time counselors at Carl Sandburg Middle School
Summary
Parents at a district board meeting urged the Neshaminy School District to reverse a staffing change that reduced guidance counselors at Carl Sandburg Middle School from three full time positions to two and a half, saying the change worsens access to mental-health support for students.
Valerie Graves, a parent of two students at Carl Sandburg Middle School, told the Neshaminy School District Board that the district’s reduction of guidance counselor staffing from three full-time positions to two and a half leaves students without timely access to mental-health support.
Graves said: "Who made the decision to reduce the number of full time guidance counselors at Carl Sandburg Middle School from 3 to 2 and a half? Given the mental health crisis we are facing among adolescents, this decision feels deeply misguided." She cited statistics — "about 1 in 7 teenagers currently experience a mental health disorder" and "50 percent of all mental health conditions begin by the age of 14" — and described the change as risking students' access to trusted adults.
Graves also raised practical concerns about splitting a counselor between Carl Sandburg and Core Creek Elementary, saying the commute can take about 25 minutes and asking, "What happens when a student at Sandburg has a crisis before lunch? ... That’s not support — that’s a missed opportunity to help a student in need." She told the board the change increases counselor caseloads "to 275 students each above the recommended average of 250."
Leonard Techi, a parent and classroom teacher, echoed the call to restore staffing. He said the two buildings are effectively too distant to make a split position workable in crisis situations: "They might as well be on other planets," he said, adding that when students are in crisis it cannot be delayed.
Board members thanked the speakers for attending. Board member Mrs. Marsh said she appreciated parents "continuing to show up" and emphasized that public comment provides important real-world feedback to the board. No board action, motion, or vote on counselor staffing was recorded during the meeting.
The parents asked the board to reconsider the staffing decision and to maintain three full-time counselors at Carl Sandburg Middle School; the transcript records no commitment from the board or administration to change the staffing level during the meeting.
