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Donna Steff outlines student‑services programs, reports 12 students identified as experiencing homelessness
Summary
Student services coordinator Donna Steff told the Hopewell Area SD board that her department oversees 504 plans, Title IX investigations, McKinney‑Vento support, SEL programming and counseling; she said 12 students are currently identified as experiencing homelessness and cited a $25,000 county grant for SEL work.
Donna Steff, the district’s student services coordinator and an assistant principal at Margaret Ross Elementary, told the Hopewell Area School District board the department’s work focuses on access and compliance, student well‑being, equity and family support.
"Student services exists to remove barriers to learning so that every student can fully access their education," Steff said, describing responsibilities that include 504 coordination, Title IX investigations, homeless liaison duties under the McKinney‑Vento Act, and oversight of counseling and nursing services.
Steff told the board the district currently identifies 12 students as experiencing homelessness, down from 19 the previous year. She said the homeless liaison works with families, schools and community agencies in Beaver and Allegheny counties to ensure students are enrolled without barriers and have access to transportation, meals, supplies and fee waivers.
On social‑emotional learning, Steff said she leads K–12 implementation of the district’s SEL framework and supports seven school counselors and five nurses. She said the district secured a $25,000 grant from Beaver County Behavioral Health to help offset the cost of the School Beat SEL program used in K–4 classrooms.
Steff also summarized other student supports the department coordinates: crisis intervention, attendance interventions, mental‑health referrals, college‑and‑career reporting, emergency response planning and immunization compliance. She said student services aims to be proactive "by addressing needs early and building systems of support before challenges become crises."
The presentation closed with Steff inviting questions; the board thanked her and moved on to committee business.
