Joe DeBold, the district’s director of guidance, presented the Cornwall Central School District Board of Education with a K–12 comprehensive school counseling plan and described several measures administrators say are raising student engagement.

DeBold said the plan centers on three domains — academics, college and career, and social-emotional learning — and follows American School Counselor Association standards. He described the district’s ‘‘delivery by level’’ documentation, which lists activities by target group, tier, staff assignment and timeline.

On social-emotional learning, DeBold said the district is in year three of teaching dialectical behavior techniques (DBT) across grade levels, with monthly lessons delivered by support staff. He offered classroom examples — including a stoplight exercise and a ‘‘wise mind’’ framing — and credited PPS leadership for advancing the work.

DeBold also reported that a recently hired mental-health clinician has begun taking referrals at the middle and high school levels. He said intake and insurance paperwork slow some placements; two parents declined services and two additional referrals were affected by TRICARE insurance denials, but staff continue to work with those families.

To show impact, DeBold used attendance as a straightforward metric. He said quarter‑to‑quarter counts of students with five or more absences fell in multiple buildings: Cornwall Central High School from 151 to 123; Cornwall Central Middle School from 117 to 64; Cornwall Elementary School from 117 to 73; COH from 45 to 23; and Willow from 44 to 22. "If they step foot in our building, we can get our hands on them," he said, arguing improved attendance creates opportunities for connection and intervention.

On academics, DeBold reviewed AP participation and scores since the pandemic and said the district now has 277 AP students with a higher rate of students scoring 3 or better on exams. He said the district’s approach encourages students to take more rigorous courses and to sit for exams; DeBold noted many districts discourage taking exams for all enrolled AP students, while Cornwall Central typically tests all AP students.

DeBold described partnerships and college-credit opportunities, including dual-enrollment classes with Marist College and a senior-year option to earn SUNY Oneonta credit in AP Government/Politics. He also highlighted career pathways such as CTEC participation and a new internship course scheduled for a soft launch in 2026.

DeBold introduced Project Lead The Way (PLTW), an engineering and career pathway, and said technology teacher Jacques Ponsole secured a $30,000 grant (reported as $15,000 this year and $15,000 next) to cover teacher training and initial equipment. DeBold said the district plans to seek additional grants to expand PLTW offerings.

Board members asked for additional data: one member requested underlying AP-exam composition and regional comparisons; DeBold agreed to provide further breakdowns. Members also discussed limits to alumni tracking and low response rates to graduate surveys; DeBold said the district is exploring alumni events and incentives to improve follow-up data.

The presentation closed with board members praising the outreach and student engagement strategies and asking for regular updates and supporting data.

Next steps: DeBold offered to share the requested AP composition and additional outcome data with the board.