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TRANSCRIPT
Fall 2016 DASP Newsletter
Letter from Your President, Katie Eaken This fall has been a very busy 0me forDASP! As youmay have no0ced, therehave been lots of changes in ourexecu0ve board. Please join me inthanking Jamie Caruso, Brian Garber,JackiePollard,andBrynnTatarowicz fortheir 0me and dedica0on. We trulycould not have enhanced ourpolicies,procedures,events,andadvocacy efforts without them,and for that we are forevergrateful. Please also join me inwelcoming Eric Pizzini andCourtneyChaskoasGovernmentand Professional Rela0ons Co-C h a i r s , K e l l e y H e l i e a sparliamentarian,LauraDavidsonas social chair and newslePereditor, and Mike Lewis ascommunica0ons chair. GabiKou r y and B r iPany Zeh rcon0nue to dedicate significant0me and effort in their newroles as Program Chair andPresident-Elect. Emily Klein,Lindsay Hammond, and Kristen Mar0nwill maintain their posi0ons andsubstan0al contribu0ons as NASPdelegate,secretary,andtreasurer.
These Delaware psychologists devoteimportant 0me and energy to fulfillDASP’smission. It includesrepresen0ngandsuppor0ngSchoolPsychologistsandenhancing the learning, mental health,and social competence of all childrenand youth in Delaware. Two of the
ob j e c0ve s w i t h i n t h i smission include promo0ngtheworkandvalueofschoolpsychological services anda d v o c a 0 n g f o rcomprehensive programsand services to support theemo0onal and social well-beingofchildreninthestateofDelaware.(Con’tonpg.2)
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SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY AWARENESS WEEK
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SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY CROSSWORD
PAGE 5
Two of the objectives within this mission
include promoting the work and value of
school psychological services and
advocating for comprehensive programs…to support the
emotional and social well-being of children
in the state of Delaware
DELAWARE ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS
ADVOCATE FOR DASPPAGE 2
Fall 2016 DASP Newsletter
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School Psychologists as Advocates
(Cont’dfrompg.1)TheEveryStudentSucceedsAct(ESSA)presentsaonceinacareeropportunityforourorganiza0onanditsmemberstoworktowardsourmissionandobjec0ves.ReplacingNoChildLeYBehind(NCLB),ESSAmakessignificantchangestopoliciesandprac0ces,whichwilltakeeffectinthe2017-2018school year. Because ESSA considerably reduces the authority of the federal Secretary of Educa0on, itpresentsopportuni0esforstatesanddistrictstoimproveschoolandstudentoutcomesbyimplemen0ngcomprehensiveschoolpsychologicalserviceswithinMul0-TieredSystemsofSupport(MTSS).
ESSAdefinesschoolpsychologistsintwoareasasaschoolbasedmentalhealthservicesproviderandasspecialized instruc0onal support personnel. Statesmust establish an accountability system tomeasureprogress toward longtermgoals inconsulta0onwithvariousstakeholders includingspecializedsupportpersonnel.Statescanchoosetoincludemeasuresofschoolclimate/schoolsafetyintheiraccountabilitysystem. At aminimum, data about school climate, bullying, and harassmentmust be available to thepublic, and statesmust iden0fy strategies to assist LEAefforts in theseareas. Schoolpsychologists canrou0nelyexaminetheavailabledatatomonitortheprogressofeffortstoimproveschoolclimate/safetyandreducebullyingandharassment.
To help schools improve condi0ons for learning, ESSA authorizes various funding streams. States anddistricts can use these monies to implement posi0ve behavior interven0ons and supports; traumainformedprac0ces;comprehensiveschoolmentalhealthservices;and improvements inschoolclimate,safety, crisis response, and community partnerships. Districts may also use federal funds to offerprofessional development aligned with improvement efforts and increased educator capacity withinMTSS.Theseopportuni0eswithinthelawallowforschoolpsychologiststoensurethatallstudentsaPenda school with a safe and suppor0ve learning environment. Referenced from www.nasponline.org. Formore informa0on, seehPp://www.nasponline.org/research-and-policy/current-law-and-policy-priori0es/policy-priori0es/the-every-student-succeeds-act.
Toensurethatthestateanddistrictsimplementhighqualityevidencebasedschoolimprovementeffortsthatu0lizetheskillsandexper0seofschoolpsychologists,wemustadvocateforourprofessionandbuildrela0onshipswithkey stakeholders.Over thepast severalmonths,DASPhas ini0atedadvocacyefforts.Specifically, execu0ve boardmembers have aPended community conversa0ons and discussion groups.TheGovernmentandProfessionalRela0onsCommiPeehasreviewedthefirstdraYofESSAanddraYedalePertosendtothestateinresponse.Lookoutformoreinforma0onabouthelpinguscommunicatethismessage on dasponline.org. For more informa0on about efforts in Delaware, reference hPp://www.doe.k12.de.us/domain/425.
Weneedyourhelptoadvocateforourprofession,enhanceourprac0ce,andposi0velyimpacttheeduca0onofstudentsinDelaware.Getinvolved:
• Jo in the Government and Profess iona l Re la0ons CommiPee. [email protected]@redclay.k12.de.usformoreinforma0on.
• APendanESSAcommunitymee0ng.
• Once it is released, send the draYed lePer to the state to advocate for the inclusion ofschoolpsychologistsinESSA.
Fall 2016 DASP Newsletter
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SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY AWARENESS WEEK NOVEMBER 14-18
“The theme of School Psychology Awareness Week last week included ‘Small Steps Change Lives.’ It served as a reminder for the ways in which small actions can add up to larger, positive changes. With the high demands and ever-growing responsibilities placed on school psychologists, it can be easy to become overwhelmed. It is crucial to recognize how even the small things we do every day can have a profound impact on the students we serve and on the culture of our school communities. This not only applies to direct and indirect services in the schools, but also to advocacy in the community. Small steps on the parts of individual psychologists can have a large impact on the services we can provide for our students. Please consider joining us to represent School Psychologists and enhance the learning, mental health, and social competence of all children and youth in Delaware. Referenced from www.nasponline.org.” -Katie Eaken, DASP President
How did Delaware psychologists celebrate SPAW this year?
“We are arranging a special surprise for our staff that will be coordinated as a student-led community based instructional opportunity.” -Mike Lewis, Caesar Rodney School District
Colonial School District
Appoquinimink School District
Fall 2016 DASP Newsletter
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Letter from Your NASP Delegate,
Emily Klein, NCSP Happy belated School Psychology Awareness Week! This year’s theme, Small Steps Change Lives, offers us a great opportunity to reflect on the little things that we all do that can make a difference in the life of another. Think about it – a single act of kindness can be the difference between giving up or persevering, or the one bright spot that salvages a day when everything seems to be going awry. If everyone sets out to do one act of kindness for another each day, the world would be a much kinder place!
Our School Psychology Awareness Week theme seems especially relevant as our nation recovers from a long, adversarial election season. If there was ever a time to promote kindness and respect, it is now! Even though School Psychology Awareness Week is over, the resources are still available on NASP’s website. From the main page at www.nasponline.org, click on “Resources and Publications” and select “School Psychology Awareness” in the dropdown menu. You will find all sorts of tools to encourage and recognize the “Small Steps” in your own schools. In my school, I used NASP’s footprint templates and wrote acts of kindness done by staff and students in my building, as well as suggestions of ways to show kindness, appreciation and respect to others, then put them on display
in the hallway outside of my office. Check it out in the “Colonial School District” images on page 3!
Don’t forget: Registration is now open for NASP’s spring convention. From February 21-24, school psychologists will be flocking to sunny San Antonio, TX for some high-quality professional development. Hope to see you there!
Register for the 2017 NASP Annual Convention!
Your registration for the Convention gains you access to more than 1,200 different sessions and events down in beautiful San Antonio, Texas!
Visit http://www.nasponline.org/professional-development/nasp-2017-annual-convention to register!
Fall 2016 DASP Newsletter
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Crossword Puzzle
All answers are located on page 7
Fall 2016 DASP Newsletter
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Join One of Our Committees to Help Advocate for School Psychology in DE
Program Committee - This committee organizes and runs many of our events, such as: in-service day trainings, membership dinners, and the spring
conference. If you are interested in finding out more or joining, please contact Gabi Koury ([email protected]).
Government and Professional Relations Committee (GPR) - This committee
focuses on advocacy and outreach for both our profession and the students we serve. Policies and legislation impacting the practice of school psychology in
Delaware are also a main focus for this group. If you are interested in finding out more or joining, please contact either Eric Pizzini ([email protected]) or
Courtney Chasko ([email protected]).
Newsletter - DASP publishes two newsletters per year, one in the fall and one in the spring. If you are interested in contributing (and yes, please do!!!), please
contact Laura Davidson ([email protected]).
Savethedateforthe2017DASPSpringconference!
Forthefirst0meinourorganiza0on’shistory,DASPwillbeofferingfourdaysofprofessionaldevelopmentinRehoboth,Delaware!Theconferencewillkickoffon
TuesdayMay2ndand3rdwithTrauma-InformedCareandAlterna0vestoSeclusionandRestraintthroughtheSubstanceAbuseandMentalHealthServicesAdministra0on
(SAMHSA).OnThursdayMay4thandFridayMay5th,wewillhostakeynotepresenta0onfromourcurrentNASPpresident,Dr.MelissaReeves,followedbyBriefSolu0on-FocusedCounselinginSchools:AToolboxofPrac0calStrategiesfromDr.JohnMurphy.Don’tforgettoalsosign-upfornetworkingopportuni0eswithourThursday
nightmembershipdinnerandaFridaymembershiplunch!
TheProgramCommiPeeisresponsibleforplanning,organizing,andexecu0ngDASPconferences,workshops,andotherprofessionaldevelopmentopportuni0es.IfyouareinterestedinfindingoutmoreorjoiningthiscommiPee,pleasecontactProgramChair,
GabrielleKoury,[email protected]
Fall 2016 DASP Newsletter
Do you still need to apply for the 2016-2017 school year? It's easy!
1) Visit: http://www.dasponline.org/membership
2) Complete the online application form
3) Pay online via paypal
4) Enjoy your membership benefits!
Member benefits include:
- A forum for contact and professional development among colleagues
- Continued professional advocacy via the Government and Professional Regulations (GPR) Subcommittee
- Representation at NASP level meetings
- Reduced rates for professional development opportunities (such as our Fall Membership Dinner and Spring Conference)
If you have any questions about our website, or have suggestions for additional content,
please contact us at [email protected]!
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SchoolPsychologistsfromacrossthestateaPendedtheDASPMembershipDinneronMondayNovember7thinDover,
Delaware,featuringthetopic“AvoidtheBurnout:TipsandTricksfromExperiencedSchoolPsychologists.”Thiseventfeaturedapresenta0onfromourDASPpresidentaboutburnout,includingbackgroundinforma0on,symptoms,
prevalence,andstrategies.Apanelofhonoredguestsfieldedmul0pleques0onsfromtheaudiencewhichencompassedthe
useofstrategiesforprofessionaladvocacyandself-care.
Crossword Puzzle Answers Across:
1.) Reeves
7.) Consultation
8.) Lives
10.) May
Down:
2.) Eaken
3.) Chicago
4.) SanAntonio (no spaces)
5.) Murphy
6.) Witmer
9.) ESSA
Fall 2016 DASP Newsletter
Previously published in the NASP Communique, Volume 41, Issue 6
Crisis Management: School Safety and Crisis Planning Considerations for School
Psychologists By Christina Conolly-Wilson & Melissa Reeves
In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, people across the country are asking if schools in their communities are safe. School psychologists not only play a pivotal role in answering that question, but they can also provide leadership in helping to ensure a safe school climate. A critical component to answering the safety question is finding a balance of both physical and psychological safety measures. A reliance solely on metal detectors, x-ray machines, and cameras underestimates what is needed for schools to be safe and can miss undercurrents negatively impacting school safety. However, a reliance solely on the attitude of “my school feels safe” can miss critical safety measures needed to limit accessibility and opportunity. Thus, both physical and psychological safety are critical to a comprehensive safe-school approach.
The information in this article was developed from the PREPaRE School Crisis Prevention and Intervention Training Curriculum. The reader is referred to additional resources at the end of this article for a broader consideration of this topic.
Physical Safety Measures
Below are some areas to consider when answering the school safety question from a physical safety standpoint.
Natural access control. Schools must have systems in place to monitor who comes in and out of the school building and has access throughout
the school. All exterior doors should be closed and locked during school hours. There should be only one access point into the building for visitors and it should provide easy access into the visitor screening area of the building. If the entrance where visitors enter is open during school hours, school staff or the school resource officer should monitor it. In addition, all areas inside of the school building (e.g., classrooms, gymnasiums, locker rooms, utility/custodial closets, offices) should be locked if no one is in those areas.
Natural surveillance. Schools must monitor visitor, staff, and student activities that occur inside and outside of the school building. All visitors should be screened and provided a visitor ID, with the visitor ID badge being returned before the visitor leaves. Remember, your visitor screening procedures are only as effective as the consistency with which they are implemented. All staff should wear a staff ID and if they see someone in the building without a staff or visitor ID, that person should be escorted to the main office. Natural surveillance also includes having cameras, metal detectors, x-ray machines, and school resource officers to monitor individuals as they are entering and moving around the building.
Psychological Safety Measures
Below are some areas to consider when answering the school safety question from a psychological safety standpoint.
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Positive school environment. When a school has a friendly and a positive environment, students are more inclined to behave in school and to not have disciplinary problems. Developing a positive behavior support system establishes the foundation for a positive school environment. This leads to increased student–school–teacher connectedness, which has been shown to be correlated with increased academic achievement, and establishes a culture of trust so students and adults communicate concerns to school leadership.
Territoriality. When students and staff feel connected to school, they gain a sense that the school is their school. They gain a sense of pride and they do not want others harming the school. Students who have a sense of territoriality are more likely to monitor each other's behavior and to report student misbehavior to adults in the building. Schools can have murals, student artwork, and posters promoting school-wide expectations around the building to promote a sense of territoriality. A confidential reporting system is also critical to ensuring anonymity when reporting and helping to break the code of silence.
Collaboration. School employees, parents, students, and community agencies should all work together to promote and create a safe school environment. School safety is not just the responsibility of a district's safety department or the building administration. It is critical for schools to reach out to community agencies that can offer prevention programs and also crisis intervention services. Schools cannot do it alone, and these services can be invaluable to students and families. Collaboration with emergency responders in regard to crisis prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery is critical to ensuring a school's crisis response plan is consistent with the emergency responder protocols. For example, when developing your school's crisis plan, invite the emergency responders to help develop or refine your plan, observe crisis drills, and provide feedback.
Prevention programs. Schools can review their individual needs for conducting different types of prevention programs. Depending on the needs of your school, school board policy, or state laws, there are a variety of prevention programs that schools can implement, including but not limited to bullying, suicide, self-injury, gang awareness, social skills, and anger management. Prevention programs can also be used as screening tools to find students who are in need of a targeted or intensive intervention. Prevention is an intervention, and intervention is prevention.
School safety teams and vulnerability assessments. Each school should develop a school safety team. This team is responsible for analyzing school safety initiatives and developing a safety plan. One way of reviewing school safety data is by conducting vulnerability assessments that assess strengths and needs regarding physical and psychological safety. The results from the vulnerability assessment can guide schools in prioritizing safety initiatives designed to make the school a safer place.
School mental health services. School mental health staff can provide access to counseling, suicide and threat assessments, and mentoring to students. Students need someone that they can speak with and trust when there are problems in their lives. For many students, that person is the school psychologist or another mental health professional in the building. In addition, school mental health staff members can provide staff development regarding early warning signs, how to create a positive and supportive classroom environment, and specific strategies in working with at-risk students. They can also help parents seek additional resources. We must work to advocate for increased mental health support in the schools; services of school mental health professionals contribute directly to both physical and psychological safety.
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Crisis Planning Another important area to examine when evaluating school safety is school crisis planning. As a school psychologist, you should advocate to serve on your school or district crisis team. Our training provides us with the knowledge to provide input on the development or revision of your school's crisis plan. Many school districts are required by their state or local guidelines to review or revise their crisis plans annually. In addition, school psychologists, as key members of the school community, can provide administrators with information about how crisis response can impact students and staff in a positive or negative way. You may help facilitate staff training on the crisis plan, be involved in emergency crisis drills in order to provide feedback on modifications to be made, or even potentially be involved in a crisis response that can help inform changes that may need to be made to the plan.
If you are considering whether your school or school district is prepared to respond to a crisis event, below are some guiding questions.
• Does your school have a crisis plan that responds to multiple types of hazards (e.g., natural disaster, utility failures, fire, weapons, chemical/biological/radiological incidents, suicide)?
• If you do have a crisis plan, does the staff have access to the plan and are they trained on the plan?
• Does your school practice the plan during scheduled emergency drills?
• Does your school have a crisis team responsible for reviewing crisis plans on a regular basis, conducting drills, and ensuring there is an Incident Command System (ICS) team in place that responds to crisis events? Have they been trained to do their assigned crisis response duties?
• Does your school practice the emergency protocols during different times of the day (e.g.,
lunchtime, passing periods, dismissal, beginning and end of the school day)?
• Does your school and school district have a plan in place to provide mental health support after a crisis event?
• Does the school district have memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with outside agencies that can assist in the emergency response?
• Does your school have multiple communication methods to get in touch with staff and parents during an emergency?
• Do the local emergency response agencies have the floor plans of all school buildings in their jurisdiction?
• Do your school and district have backups for vital records and the payroll system?
If your school is lacking in crisis preparation or just needs to refine an already good crisis plan, below are some guiding principals for crisis plan development and refinement.
• Build on what is already in place. If you have a crisis plan, do not create a brand new one. Revise only the areas that require improvement.
• Carefully select crisis plan development committee members who are willing to provide honest input and work well as a team. Involve key stakeholders, which can include but are not limited to school staff (e.g., teachers, paraprofessionals, custodians, bus drivers, administration), parents, public safety agencies, community agencies, and students.
• Establish and operationalize the crisis team and the Incident Command System team within the crisis plan. Train the team members to do their assigned duties.
• Make sure that the crisis plan incorporates comprehensive approaches and all four crisis management phases (prevention/mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery). This may involve having multiple types of mini-crisis plans within the overall plan (e.g., school staff crisis plan that delineates protocol for immediately taking student and staff attendance, incident-specific
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emergency protocols, family reunification, evacuating special needs students, mental health response, managing pandemic illnesses, and maintaining business continuity).
• Align the crisis plan and procedures with district, federal, state, and local laws and guidelines.
• Make decisions about the revisions based on data collected around the district.
• Focus on physical and psychological safety data
• Use multiple sources of data to drive decisions
• Review After Action Reports from previous crisis responses
• Provide ongoing, yearly training on the crisis plan for all staff.
• Orientation of the plan
• Emergency drills
• Tabletop drills
• Functional/full-scale drills
• Use common language and create a user-friendly document.
• Specify accommodations and modifications of the crisis plan for those with special needs and considerations.
• Carefully select safety and crisis team members who will implement the plan and respond to the crisis event. Select people who remain calm and do not panic under stressful conditions.
• Collaborate with community and nonpublic partners to develop MOUs to help in the crisis response.
Obtaining Support for Crisis Planning and Preparation
Below are some suggested activities designed to help you gain support from key leaders for crisis plan development or revision.
Develop positive relationships. Develop a positive relationship with your school's principal and
administration. Having a good rapport with the administration will increase your ability to present to the administration any concerns you have about the safety of the school. Offer to be on the crisis team and help in safety and crisis plan development.
Attend trainings. Attend trainings in regard to school safety and crisis planning. Schedule a meeting with administrators to share your knowledge and skills. See if the administration will allow you to present the information to school staff. Research legal requirements. Find out the legal requirements for crisis planning for your state and pertinent school board policies relevant to crisis planning. Most states require school districts to have a crisis plan and to revise it on either an annual or a biannual basis.
Take advantage of opportunities. Take advantage of opportunities that occur after a crisis event in your school, your school district, or in another district. Events that have media attention will give you a chance to make your school administration more aware of vulnerabilities that exist. If your school needs to improve its crisis planning, this is the perfect time to advocate for these improvements. Even if you have discussed your concerns with your school principal previously, bring it up again in light of other events.
Request funding. After a crisis event has occurred, you can also request funding for crisis planning activities. Make sure to request funding before the next school year's budget cycle starts. For many school districts, budgets for the next year are due to the budget office around February or March. The actual budget cycle typically begins July 1 of that calendar year.
Follow the chain of command. When advocating for school crisis planning, remember to follow the chain of command. Jumping in at a school board meeting to say how your school does not comply with state law regarding crisis planning is ineffective. A typical line of progression to change is speaking with the school administrator in charge of crisis planning first. This can be either the assistant
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principal or principal, depending on the size of the school. With the support of the principal, you can then present your suggestions to the district-level administrator. The district-level administrator can then go to the superintendent and then the school board for support.
Conduct planning at the district level. For larger school districts, crisis planning may be done at a district level. The district may determine what the crisis plan for the individual schools will look like. If you notice that the district crisis plan is outdated, speak with your principal about contacting someone at the district office about revising the plan. If opportunities arise for your school's representatives to work with the district office during the revision process, ask your principal if you could represent the school.
Use a team approach. If you are asked to create or revise your school's crisis plan, seek the help of others. One person cannot revise a crisis plan by himself or herself. In addition, research helpful tips from local, state, and national agencies. Remember that you do not have to recreate the wheel. Many states have crisis plan templates that they want schools to follow. In addition, the National Association of School Psychologists, the U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security have information about school crisis planning.
Be patient. Changing the culture of a school can take at least 5 years. It often takes a team (not just one person) to enhance awareness of the importance of crisis planning. To change the culture, you must first get your school leadership on board to make the change. Second, the majority of the school staff has to acknowledge the importance of change and want to change. Staff members then have to be trained and given the tools to make those changes. After the initial training, begin the gradual process of implementation and evaluation to monitor the change process. This can be a slow process; it is important to not move at a quick pace. Moving quickly may force people to change when
they are not ready. If you do not have buy-in, your plan will not move in a positive direction.
Be confident that anyone can effect a change. From a first-year school employee to a 20-year veteran, anyone can start the change process. If you have a desire to see improvement in school safety and crisis planning, be persistent and look for those opportunities that arise that will help you follow your goal.
We must remember that although the school shooting at Sandy Hook was a very tragic event with great impact on our country, schools are still safe places for students to attend and staff to work. School shootings are very rare. Although this is true, we must stay vigilant in promoting a safe school environment. School psychologists must advocate for their voice to be heard when developing policies and procedures in schools in regard to school safety. We must tell our school and district administrators that school psychologists can provide insight to safety teams that can help to promote a safe school environment. School psychologists can identify a few small steps to begin impacting change and then begin influencing larger change. Model physical safety by making sure that you are locking your office door, not propping exterior doors, and wearing your staff ID around the building. Model psychological safety by promoting positive relationships and communication. Leadership starts from within each of us to promote a safe school for all of us.
Christina Conolly-Wilson, PsyD, NCSP, is the crisis intervention coordinator for the Waukegan Public Schools and a member of the NASP PREPaRE Workgroup. Melissa Reeves, PhD, NCSP, is a lecturer at Winthrop University and the chair of the PREPaRE Workgroup. Special thanks to the Early Career Interest Group, which originally suggested this article.
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Colonial School District: Mental Health Matters Conference by Lindsay Hammond
On Friday, October 7th, 2016 ,Colonial School District held its second Mental Health Matters Conference at Gunning Bedford Middle School. The conference was widely successful and was attended by support staff members (school psychologists, guidance counselors, occupational therapists, speech-language therapists, physical therapists, special education coordinators) from both Colonial School District as well as other districts around the state.
A welcome was given to all conference attendees by Dr. Jon Cooper, the Director of Special Services in Colonial School District. Dr. Cooper emphasized the importance of social-emotional wellness and mental health of our students in schools. The goal of the conference was to provide the opportunity for staff members to enhance their knowledge and skills in order to better understand and work with students who face social-emotional and mental health challenges.
A keynote speaker, Keva White, the President and CEO of VIP Community Services Inc., a training and consultant agency providing professional development services to for-profit and non-profit organizations, also spoke to all attendees of the conference. His discussion was empowering and addressed his work in urban communities developing and implementing evidence-based behavioral health services geared toward improving health outcomes for children and families.
The day was divided into concurrent sessions in the morning and afternoon. The following speakers provided helpful information and discussions regarding important mental health topics:
• Dr. Aileen Fink provided information on The New 3 R’s: Realizing, Recognizing, and Responding to Student Trauma Exposure.
• Devon Dyal and Dr. Aileen Fink spoke about The ABC’s of a Trauma Sensitive School Approach.
• Keva White addressed the Fatherless Syndrome: Impact on Today’s Youth. • Bob Martz and Jane Bowen shared information regarding The ABC’s of LGBTQ. • Dr. James M. Walsh provided a presentation about the Mindful Classroom: Resilient
Teachers, Resilient Students.• Dr. Judith W. Hermann spoke about The Teen Brain: All Stressed Out! What We Can
Do!• Dr. Christina Watlington provided a presentation on Untangling the Emotional Web
of Anxiety and Depression in Youth.• Dr. Malik Muhammad shared a presentation entitled We Can Save Our Boys of
Color: Restorative Practices as a Key Element.• Domenica Personti provided information about Emerging Drug Trends and
Supports Available for Students.• Desmond D. Wynn, Jr. spoke about Transitioning Back to School. • Eliza M. Hirst shared a presentation entitled You Reported Child Abuse and
Neglect….Now What?• Jane M. Bowen addressed Teen Sexuality- Stats and Strategies to Inform and
Guide.
Overall the second Mental Health Matters Conference in Colonial School District was widely successful and allowed participants to gain practical knowledge to take back to their schools in order to help students facing mental health and social-emotional challenges.
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Recent Conferences
Fall 2016 DASP Newsletter
Sussex Consortium 9th Annual Most at the Coast Conference by Sarah Rosswog
On November 5th, 2016, the Sussex Consortium held its 9th annual Most at the Coast Conference at Irish Eyes Pub & Restaurant in Lewes, Delaware. The conference was attended by administrators, special education teachers, paraeducators, speech and language pathologists, occupational therapists, school psychologists, board certified behavior analysts, and parents of students with autism or other developmental disabilities. Participants included those from the Cape Henlopen School District and other school districts and organizations throughout the state. Participants enjoyed a light breakfast while catching up with colleagues before the presentation began. The room was overflowing with participants as many educational professionals continued to register into the beginning of the presentation!
Dr. Peter Gerhardt, the Executive Director of the EPIC School in Paramus, NJ, presented Bridges to Adulthood: Targeting Skills for Competent Adulthood and a Positive Quality of Life. Dr. Gerhardt has more than 35 years experience utilizing the principles of applied behavior analysis in support of adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorders in educational, employment, residential and community-based settings. Dr. Gerhardt is the Founding Chairman of the Scientific Council for the Organization for Autism Research. He is on numerous professional advisory boards including the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies. Dr. Gerhardt received his doctorate from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey’s Graduate School of Education.
Dr. Gerhardt’s day-long presentation was broken up into four segments and included the following topics: applied behavior analysis and older learners, adaptive behavior and transition planning, employment development and social competencies, and sexual safety and quality of life. A delicious lunch was provided midday, which allowed participants time to discuss what was learned so far, as well as brainstorm ideas to incorporate into their practice. Throughout the presentation, participants learned how to discuss the application of behavior analytic intervention and supports outside of the classroom, identify five instructional components of a comprehensive transition plan, discuss the challenges presented in social skill instruction from the point of view of maintenance and generalization, and identify a minimum of three indicators of a positive quality of life for adults with autism spectrum disorders. Dr. Gerhardt emphasized the limited amount of time that educators have to work with students with disabilities in general, let alone on the specific adaptive skills that most individuals develop easily. He also stressed the critical need to focus on directly teaching social competence skills and sexual safety to students with disabilities as these skills are paramount for individuals to remain safe, develop relationships with others, and have good quality of life.
Overall, the 9th annual Most at the Coast Conference received overwhelming positive reviews from participants. Participants reported that Dr. Gerhardt not only made them think critically about adaptive behavior, social competence, and transitioning into adulthood, but also gave them specific ideas about how to change their practice immediately. Dr. Gerhardt was an incredibly charismatic, knowledgeable, and entertaining speaker; many participants reported that they did not even check their phones! The 10th annual Most at the Coast Conference should be even bigger and better in November 2017! For more information, please contact Sarah Rosswog, one of the committee members, at [email protected] and look for the brochure in summer 2017!
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Maryland School Psychology Fall Conference by Courtney Chasko
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In recent news, our neighboring school psychologists of Maryland held their Fall Conference on October 21st, 2016 which focused on Legal and Ethical Issues in School Crisis. Dr. Scott Poland, the co-director of Suicide and Violence Prevention at Nova Southeastern University, founding member of the NASP National Emergency Assistance Team, past NASP President, and past Prevention Director for the American Association of Suicidology, presented knowledgeable and valuable information about the lessons learned from school crisis lawsuits that have been brought against schools. As school psychologists we are aware of the increase in school crisis and we have respected training in school crisis and suicide prevention; however, many of our schools are not housing schoolwide school crisis and suicide prevention programs. Dr. Poland shared many important legal cases where students with suicidal ideation sought out help through specialists in the school setting including school psychologists, school counselors, principals and other school staff where the school staff were aware that the student was suicidal but did not follow through to support the student’s needs by providing information to the students guardians.
Cases were reviewed where school personnel have been sued over issues such as failure to obtain parental consent before telling students the truth about a crisis situation, failure to notify parents when students were known to engage in non-suicidal self-injury or suicidal behavior, the school’s responsibility to obtain mental health services for suicidal students, and whether or not a suicidal student should be allowed to leave school without adult supervision. Parents of those who have been injured or killed due to school crisis have sued schools for creating inadequate risk assessments and crisis plans that did not keep students safe. Throughout the training, Dr. Poland assisted school psychologists and other school personnel in analyzing and learning lessons from school crisis lawsuits that have been brought against schools, describing the importance of parent notification when a student is known to be suicidal by implementing the NASP best practice model interventions with suicidal students, analyzing lessons from lawsuits against schools for inadequate threat assessments, and reviewing the research about the relationship between bullying and suicide to assess the outcomes of lawsuits against schools filed by parents who believe their child’s suicide was the result of the schools failure to stop the bullying their child received.
Dr. Poland’s training on school crisis prevention is one more reason why schools need to focus on safe and informed practices to ensure the safety of students and school personnel. As suicide is the second leading cause of adolescent death in the United States and school crisis is increasing it is imperative that we as school psychologists share our tools and continue to push for safe school practices by promoting the social emotional well-being and resiliency of our students and school staff. For resources on school safety and crisis prevention from Dr. Poland please see the following link: http://www.nova.edu/suicideprevention/
Fall 2016 DASP Newsletter
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PRESIDENT Katie Eaken [email protected]
PRESIDENT ELECTBrittany Zehr [email protected]
PAST PRESIDENT Jamie Caruso [email protected]
TREASURER Kristen Martin [email protected]
SECRETARY Lindsay Hammond [email protected]
PROGRAM CHAIR Gabi Koury [email protected]
COMMUNICATIONS CHAIR Mike Lewis [email protected]
GOVERNMENT AND PROFESSIONAL RELATIONS CO-CHAIRS Eric Pizzini [email protected]
Courtney Chasko [email protected]
NEWSLETTER EDITOR AND SOCIAL MEDIA CHAIR Laura Davidson [email protected]
PARLIMENTARIAN/CREDENTIALING CONTACT Kelley Helie [email protected]
NASP DELEGATE Emily Klein [email protected]
2016-2017 DASP Board Members
The DASP Newsletter is published two times a year. The contents do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policy of the Delaware Association of School Psychologists or their elected officials. Permission to reproduce and use any article is granted to all state school psychology newsletter editors provided the original source is given. This newsletter is e-mailed without charge to all members of the association. Submission of articles is welcomed and should be mailed to the editor at the address listed below. The editor reserves the right to edit articles. Unsigned letters or articles will not be published. Newsletter Editor: Laura Davidson -Email: [email protected].