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Residents and school social workers urge committee to retain clinical social work and clarify out‑of‑district enrollment practices
Summary
Three public commenters urged the Lewiston School Committee to keep licensed clinical social workers in schools and to provide transparent documentation about out‑of‑district enrollment requests ahead of any policy discussion.
At the start of the March 9 meeting, three members of the public addressed the committee with concerns about staffing and enrollment transparency.
David Rackmills, a Ward One resident and taxpayer, urged the district to publicly document how out‑of‑district enrollment requests are handled and to provide committee members and the public with detailed information at least one week before any scheduled discussion. Rackmills asked specific questions the district should answer in writing, including whether out‑of‑district enrollment can occur without a documented request, how such requests are categorized, who may authorize them, and how frequently they occur.
Two licensed social workers — Stephanie Puland and Kelly Shusler, who identified themselves as serving Montello Elementary — asked the committee not to eliminate general education social work positions that provide clinical mental health support. Puland said licensed clinicians “conduct mental health assessments, provide counseling and crisis intervention, collaborate with families and outside providers,” and argued that social‑emotional instruction is not a substitute for clinical services. Shusler described daily responsibilities that include crisis risk assessments, de‑escalation and coordination with teachers and families, and told the committee, “I strongly encourage you to do right by the students of Lewiston and keep the current number of social work positions.”
Chair acknowledged that budget deliberations later in the meeting would cover personnel and asked that budget‑related comments be made during that portion of the meeting. Superintendent Jake Lang thanked Rackmills for following up and said he had already responded by email and would provide more detail during the budgeting schedule.
The committee did not take formal action on the public comments; members asked for more information in upcoming budget workshops and told the public the relevant agenda items would return for deliberation.
