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CCPS equity office outlines supports for English learners, mental health and attendance
Summary
In an April 14 work session, Dr. Spurlock told the Chesterfield County School Board the Office of Equity and Student Support Services is embedding equity into leadership, supporting more than 10,000 English learners, expanding mental‑health staffing and an attendance 'hub' to reduce chronic absenteeism.
Dr. Spurlock, presenting an annual update from the Department of Equity and Student Support Services, told the Chesterfield County School Board on April 14 that the office’s work centers on strengthening adult leadership so students experience equitable access and belonging.
"The Office of Equity strengthens CCPS by developing leaders, supporting schools, and building partnerships that help embed equitable practices across the entire division," Dr. Spurlock said. She introduced her departmental coordinators and described efforts to provide differentiated professional learning for principals and administrators.
Spurlock reported CCPS began the school year with "over 10,000" English learners representing more than 100 countries and said the division uses an asset-based approach and multiple programmatic supports to serve students acquiring English. She noted partnerships, scholarships and career-exposure experiences aimed at improving access and belonging.
On mental‑health supports, Spurlock said school counselors serve across three domains (academic, social‑emotional and career), the division’s mental‑health support specialists (MHSS) provide crisis response and real‑time support, and the team exceeded new state threat‑assessment training requirements. She also highlighted a Spring into Wellness event on April 9 that connected families with local agencies.
Regarding attendance, Spurlock described the school social‑work team (34 school‑based social workers) and nine attendance intervention specialists. She gave activity counts presented in her update: nearly 1,400 sociological assessments, more than 700 attendance‑team meetings and over 3,000 direct social‑emotional supports. She said the division launched an internal “attendance hub” resource guide to support schools addressing chronic absenteeism.
Board members asked for clarifications during Q&A. Steven Pronto noted two attendance social workers dedicate about 63% of their time to intensive (tier‑three) case management; Spurlock said the remaining time covers school‑specific needs, home visits and possible court support and that the social workers coordinate with other attendance staff. A board member asked for year‑by‑year counts for home instruction (a cited 33% increase since COVID); Spurlock agreed to provide numerical counts from 2021 to the present.
The update also covered school psychologists and diagnosticians, the division’s internship pipeline (noting recent hires who began as CCPS interns), student‑health staffing (four nursing supervisors, 71 school nurses and 16 nationally board‑certified nurses), and pilot dental clinics at 15 elementary schools in partnership with the Virginia Department of Health.
Spurlock closed by saying the office aims to champion inclusivity, prioritize wellness and foster partnerships to empower school communities. The board followed with additional questions about measuring equity leads’ impact, and Spurlock described using climate surveys, qualitative feedback and targeted data reports rather than an isolated single metric.
The board did not take a formal vote on the presentation; Dr. Spurlock agreed to supply several data follow‑ups requested by members.
