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Newport‑Mesa highlights 22 elementary counselors, 1,600 sessions as board presses on consent and training
Summary
The Newport‑Mesa board heard a report that the district now funds one elementary counselor at every elementary school (22 total), supported by 4 behavior specialists and 5 social workers; staff reported more than 400 referrals, nearly 300 students receiving individual counseling and roughly 1,600 counseling sessions this year. Trustees pressed on parent consent, restorative practices and teacher training.
The Newport‑Mesa Unified School District on Jan. 27 told trustees it now funds an elementary counselor for every school and is tracking hundreds of counseling touches this year. Sarah Coley, administrative director of student services, said the district supports 22 elementary counselors plus four behavior specialists and five social workers.
Coley told the board the program generated more than 400 counseling referrals this year, nearly 300 students received individual counseling and staff logged about 1,600 counseling sessions across schools. She emphasized counselors are school counselors—not therapists—and typically provide short‑term, six‑to‑eight‑week interventions with parental consent.
The presentation outlined how counselors support tiered systems of support (MTSS), positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), restorative practices, attendance intervention and classroom‑based co‑teaching. “They provide that attendance support and intervention,” Coley said. “They go to PTA events, DLAC, provide parent education, tier 1 and tier 2 behavior supports.”
Trustees used the Q&A to press for operational detail. Trustee Ersoylu asked how many group restorative practices were declined because parents withheld consent; Coley said the district has not been tracking opt‑outs and would look into creating a data field. On whether restorative circles require parental permission, Coley said parents are notified and consent is obtained when circles are part of a disciplinary or multi‑student intervention.
Trustee Anderson asked whether counselors are coordinating with special education teams for students with IEPs; Coley said school psychologists and special‑education teams continue to lead specialized plans but counselors participate in classroom and school‑wide supports. Trustees also asked about training rollout so teachers could conduct preemptive community‑building circles; Coley said counselors have restorative training and the district is working to expand teacher training.
Board members acknowledged the program’s reach and asked staff to return with follow‑up metrics, including opt‑out counts, training completion rates for teachers and a clearer breakdown of how the counseling time is allocated between individual work, groups and classroom co‑teaching.
The board did not take formal action on the presentation; staff committed to follow up at a later meeting.
