Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Supports topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Counseling director: Rogers Schools identified 434 homeless students and made 531 hotline reports last year
Summary
School counseling director Sharon Danes told the board the counseling department supports students districtwide, reported 434 identified McKinney‑Vento students, 531 hotline reports last year by counselors/social workers, and noted a $20,000 mini‑grant to fund school‑based mental‑health services.
Sharon Danes, introduced by the board to deliver the academic report, outlined the Rogers School District’s counseling and student‑support operations and provided several staffing and service metrics.
Danes said the district employs counselors across levels (17 elementary, 11 middle, 16 high schools) and 10 school social workers. She told the board the counseling program adheres to Act 190 (the School Counseling Improvement Act of 2019) and said counselors and social workers made “a total of 531 reports to the child abuse hotline last year,” describing that figure as limited to reports made by those staff and not including calls by other staff or coaches.
Danes said the district has identified and provided support to 434 students classified under McKinney‑Vento (students experiencing homelessness) so far this school year and expects to surpass last year’s total of 554 identified students before the school year ends. She credited the transportation department with helping McKinney‑Vento students remain in their school of origin by arranging busing from motels and other locations.
Danes highlighted partnerships with the Children and Family Advocacy Center of Benton County for personal‑safety programming and described a crisis‑response team mobilized 13 times in the past three years. She also said the district received a $20,000 mini‑grant this year to provide school‑based mental‑health services for uninsured students.
Board members praised Danes and the department for advocacy and for securing Medicaid reimbursements. Danes also noted the creation of an Arkansas chapter of the School Social Workers Association and recognized Haley Carson and Grace Hill for leadership roles.
Next steps: board will review any related action items; Danes said counselors will continue work on an annual comprehensive counseling plan and on attendance and behavior initiatives.
