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Summers County board hears counselors’ concerns about suicides, staffing and launches state-funded parent coaching
Summary
Counselors and community partners told the Summers County Board of Education on Nov. 1 that heavy counselor caseloads, insurance/copay barriers and recent suicides are straining school supports. The board heard a free, state-funded parent coaching program and agreed to pursue coordinated staff training and a cross-agency action plan.
Board members and school counselors on Nov. 1 devoted the longest discussion of Summers County Schools’ meeting to student mental health, suicide prevention and the gap between school-based support and community mental‑health capacity.
Counselors described growing caseloads, limits on intensive counseling without parental consent and the difficulty of referring students to outside therapists when families face high copays or transportation barriers. One school counselor said the district must treat threats to student safety seriously: “If a child threatens ... we make parent contact and it is a phone call,” the counselor said, noting the district follows a policy of direct parent contact rather than a text or app message.
Board members were told the district has recently experienced…
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