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Oyster River board approves K–12 comprehensive counseling program after extended presentation
Summary
The Oyster River Cooperative School District board voted unanimously to adopt a K–12 comprehensive counseling program aligned with ASCA standards after counselors outlined curriculum, MTSS data use, suicide prevention, threat assessment and community partnerships.
The Oyster River Cooperative School District board voted unanimously March 31 to approve the district's comprehensive K–12 counseling program as presented by school counseling staff.
Shannon Karen, director of counseling, described the program as aligned with the American School Counselor Association standards and focused on three domains: academic, career and social-emotional learning. "Effective school counseling is collaborative," she said, outlining classroom lessons, advisory curricula and evidence-based interventions that counselors deliver across elementary, middle and high school.
Presenters detailed core elements: elementary implementation of Open Circle and Caring School Community advisory work, middle-school advisory and resource-wheel activities, and high-school planning supports such as individualized four-year planning, early-college guidance and career-focused ELO opportunities. The presenters said suicide-prevention programming (Signs of Suicide), a licensed alcohol-and-drug counselor, and a student mental-health team are part of the responsive-services portfolio.
Board members asked about operational details: participation of the school resource officer in threat-assessment teams, timing and availability of Youth Risk Behavior Survey results, and how counselors track PowerSchool logins for student monitoring. Shannon Karen said the SRO had completed the first part of threat-assessment training and explained that middle-school YRBS results were available while high-school results typically arrive later from the state.
The motion to approve the counseling program passed 6'to'00 with the student representative also in favor. The board will present the ELA program piloting results at the May 20 meeting and said it would continue to monitor implementation and community communications.
Why it matters: Board approval authorizes the counseling team's stated approach to social-emotional and college-career supports, formally allowing staff to proceed with curriculum delivery, MTSS monitoring and the district's stated suicide-prevention measures. Presenters and trustees emphasized the program's role in student safety and transition supports, and several public speakers had urged preservation of counseling and related student supports in light of recent legislative changes affecting education funding.
What's next: The counseling team and administration said they will provide implementation updates and follow-up metrics through the district's MTSS data system and will seek opportunities for parent training on Open Circle and other classroom curricula.
