Eastchester district details counseling, safety and social‑emotional programs and proposes student outreach center

At a board work session, district officials described recent and planned expansions of counseling, safety and social‑emotional learning (SEL) programs across the EASTCHESTER UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT.

District Assistant to the Superintendent Bill Meyer and members of the counseling, health and psychology staffs reviewed work that followed an 18‑month Tri‑States consultancy, described K–12 implementation of Aaron’s Law requirements, summarized the district’s RULER program, and highlighted peer mentoring at the elementary level. Staff also described early planning for a proposed student outreach and research center to coordinate clinical services, curriculum innovation and external partnerships.

The Tri‑States follow‑up led the high school counseling department to create a two‑year action plan and to change several practices, Heather Riley, chair of the high‑school counseling department, told the board. The department moved from counselor‑specific Google Classrooms to grade‑level classrooms “so all students are receiving the same information on the same day,” Riley said. Counselors also revised transition supports for incoming ninth graders and added three counselors this year; Riley named “Adrianna, Liz, and Jacqueline” as new staff additions. The department said it is using Naviance more consistently across grades for career inventories and workshops and has shifted some test administration from paper to digital.

Two students who participated in recent college‑essay workshops described the help they received. Eastchester High School student Cameron Fella said the process “gave me a lot of anxiety” but that the workshop helped him “develop proper layout and tell the story that I wanted to tell.” Student PJ McLaughlin said the workshops “helped me with my grammar and vocabulary in my writing,” and that his essay emphasized his work ethic.

On safety, the district described a child‑safety committee formed about three months earlier with four guiding goals: enhance student safety, promote healthy peer and staff relationships, review and educate staff on policy, and expand proactive risk assessment and anonymous reporting. Kathy Giuliano, a high‑school health teacher, noted the district’s work to comply with Aaron’s Law: “Aaron’s law requires public schools to teach child ****** abuse and exploitation prevention classes,” and the district said it has incorporated developmentally appropriate lessons at the elementary and secondary levels. Staff described K–5 lessons that teach children to recognize safe, unsafe and unwanted touches, to use a strong voice (“stop, I don't like that”), and to tell a trusted adult; middle‑school and high‑school lessons use curricula such as Safer Smarter Teens and expand into consent, boundaries and sources of support.

The RULER framework for SEL is used districtwide at the elementary level, staff said. Stephanie Stone, a counselor at Ann Hutch, described daily use of the mood meter and classroom charters to give students “a shared language around emotions.” Tommy Finks, the building‑wide middle‑school guidance counselor, described monthly classroom lessons that reinforce social, emotional and behavioral skills and said the approach supports academic, social and college‑career domains.

The district also described peer mentoring programs in which older elementary students serve as trained mentors for younger students. Greenvale counselor Rachel Lepore said the program expanded this year and now uses an application and interview process; student mentor Juliana Fortuno said mentoring makes her “feel happy and excited to know that I make a difference.” School psychologist Dana Mosca described a similar community‑connections program (formerly peer mentoring) at Ann Hutch that pairs recommended students with peers to practice social and communication skills.

Looking ahead, Meyer outlined an early vision for a student outreach and research center to coordinate clinical supports, embed wellness in the curriculum and expand student research and leadership opportunities. He said the district has engaged with outside agencies and funders; he named discussions with WJCS and noted interest from White Plains Hospital and Long Island University for student tutorial and partnership roles. Meyer also referenced potential funding avenues including a RECUB grant and county support.

Board members praised the presentations and asked staff to continue work on secondary‑level applications for SEL, including schedule and advisory considerations that could create time for skill development and “peak experiences” such as leadership institutes or expanded AP‑research opportunities.

No formal board action was taken on the programs during the workshop; staff described follow‑up steps already in progress, including further focus groups, website resources, professional development for staff, and use of anonymous reporting tools.

The presentations drew a series of public staff and student speakers and concluded with board discussion about incorporating several items into the budget planning and multi‑year programing cycle.