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Parent urges board to evaluate counseling and social-emotional programs
Summary
At public comment, a parent said the district should review a career and college counselor position created three years earlier and raised concerns that social-emotional lessons are delivered by non-counselor teachers; the commenter said he will follow up with the district and offered to show a campus safety concern.
At the Elmwood Park CUSD 401 open meeting a parent and taxpayer, identified in the transcript as Mister Doyle, used the public-comment period to press the board for clearer follow-up on counseling and social-emotional supports.
Doyle said he has submitted emails with suggestions and has not received responses, which made him concern the board may not value community feedback. He noted the board agreed three years ago to fund a career and college counselor position at the high school and asked whether the board has evaluated that investment’s impact. "Are you aware of the successes or challenges that the new counselor is working through?" he asked.
Doyle also raised concerns about how social-emotional curriculum is delivered, saying sessions during "tiger time" are run by teachers who are not counselor-trained and that students in distress "don't benefit from looking at slides when they are silently suffering." He urged the board to involve students in review and said he will request an appointment at the high school to understand the program, inviting board members to join him.
He additionally flagged a campus safety issue, saying mesh on the tennis courts creates a blind spot at a parking-lot exit and offered to show interested board members the hazard after the meeting.
The board did not record a response or a staff report addressing the specific evaluation questions during the meeting transcript. Doyle said he will follow up with an email and an in-person visit to the high school.
