Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Support Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Davie County school social workers report fewer chronically absent students, outline homeless and at-risk services
Summary
School social workers told the Davie County Schools board that chronic absenteeism has declined across grade spans and described services for students experiencing homelessness, foster care coordination and the district—s at-risk fund. Staffing, caseloads and program numbers were presented as context for next school year.
Davie County Schools social workers on May 20, 2025 briefed the Board of Education on last year—s caseloads, services for students experiencing homelessness and foster care, and the district—s at-risk fund; social-work leaders said chronic absenteeism declined across grade spans compared with prior years.
Presenters said the district currently employs four full-time school social workers and one part-time grant-funded social worker who covers two to three days per week. Staff reported an approximate caseload of one social worker per 1,300 students and said caseload assignments vary by school size and need.
As required by federal law, the district—s McKinney-Vento liaison highlighted services available to students identified as experiencing homelessness. Social-work staff reported identifying 24 McKinney-Vento students in the 2023-24 school year and 17 so far in the 2024-25 year to date. The presenters explained that once identified, a student is eligible for services for the remainder of the school year regardless of subsequent housing changes; services cited included transportation assistance to the school of origin, free meals, referrals to community agencies, and support for emergency housing when needed.
Social workers described the district—s at-risk fund (supported by community donations and fundraisers) and how staff use it to meet immediate family needs: during 2023-24 social workers used the fund to assist 83 students and families; this school year to date they reported 69 assists. Examples included clothing, food, help preventing utility disconnection (when a disconnection notice exists) and short-term hotel stays while more permanent arrangements were found, frequently coordinated with community partners.
Staff also reported measurable improvements in chronic absenteeism: the elementary level saw a 27.7% decrease in students with 10 or more unexcused absences compared with an earlier period; middle schools recorded roughly a 14% decrease and the high school about a 5.4% decrease. Social-work staff said the district—s proactive work (attendance contacts, parent outreach, case management and small-group supports) contributed to the changes; they noted that most social-work time is spent on attendance-related contacts, parent contacts and staffing/collaboration with school teams.
Other figures reported for the 2023-24 school year included 657 responses to child-welfare or safety incidents, 856 family resource referrals, 670 behavior supports, 81 home visits, 87 court-related participations, 1,469 attendance contacts and 1,444 parent contacts. Staff said they filed eight parent charges and five new juvenile petitions and reviewed 77 truancy cases during the year; presenters said the district uses mediation and pre-court efforts to avoid court intervention when possible.
Social workers described regular collaboration with local partners (Davie County Advocacy Center, Family Promise, Just Hope, Serving Our Neighbors, the health department and others) and highlighted a named substance-use educator and resource navigator who supports secondary students under a county partnership. Presenters emphasized the role of the social-work team as a liaison between school, home and community and noted that some supports are provided after hours when urgent needs arise.
The board thanked social-work staff for their work; trustees asked questions about McKinney-Vento oversight (answer: U.S. Department of Education) and local staffing pipelines. No formal board action was taken; the item was an informational staff report.
