The School Attendance Officer

• The attendance officer is responsible for supervising the attendance procedures throughout the school district, including enforcing residency requirements. In enforcing school attendance, the attendance officer counsels students, makes home visits, and is authorized to take appropriate action on attendance problems that may result in court action. The attendance officer is responsible for assisting staff and the community with the requirements of Child Labor Laws and the Department of Labor Standards. The attendance officer supervises the issuance of employment certificate applications to all children between 14 and 18 who, in the company of their parents, request them.
  

The Home and School Visitor/Social Worker

• The school social workers are a vital part of the educational team, working together with administrators, teachers, counselors, psychologists, nurses, and other staff. Their unique graduate level training in social work enables them to understand and interpret the influences of the school, home, and community on children. School Social Workers identify factors that can make school a more successful experience for students. Their purpose is to facilitate communication, understand and cooperation among the home, school, and community. Some of their duties consist of the following:
  
  
  • Serve as liaison to promote communication and increased understanding between the home and school
    
  • Provide individual and group school-based interventions to students in order to address health, safety, educational, social and emotional concerns
    
  • Assist principals and staff in the review and analysis of cases concerning school attendance, abuse and neglect, health, mental health, substance abuse, and other issues
    
  • Maintain a knowledge of community, school district, and agency resources
    
  • Participate in case and individual conferences with community and service provider agencies to facilitate and coordinate multi-agency communication
    
  • Assist the special education department with social work services related to the placement and progress of exceptional students
    
  • Assist in the placement and maintenance of students in alternative programs such as work study, community service, and day treatment
    
  • Aid and assist parents with completing lunch applications and to administer verification procedures
    
  • Escort and transport children or families with exceptional circumstances
    
    

The Secondary School Counselor

• The guidance program is designed to help all students develop their educational, social, and personal strengths. Students are encouraged to explore individual interests, abilities, and goals with their school counselor. The primary goal of the guidance program is to promote and enhance student learning in order to maximize student achievement. The range of services and activities offered by the Guidance Departments are designed to meet the diverse needs of our student population. Some of their duties consist of the following:
  
  
  • Provide academic review
    
  • Provide counseling services
    
  • Conduct team meetings, including Service Agreement meetings
    
  • Offer consultation
    
  • Provide linkages with outside service providers
    
  • Arrange and provide academic supports: learning center, tutorials, educational mentor, study habits and organization
    
  • Provide guidance for course and elective selection
    
  • Provide and help to organize educational testing
    
  • Provide career, college, and post-high school planning
    
  • Support the college application process
    
    

The School Nurse

• The Abington School District Department of Health Services provides services to the district’s schools and to several private and parochial schools, which are located in the township. Health services staff is assigned to schools in accordance with the needs of the school and student enrollment. As the number of medically involved students in the district has increased, the number of licensed health services staff has increased.
  
  
• Health suites are staffed by certified school nurses, health assistants, and health clerks. The assistants and clerks work at the direction of the certified school nurse. Abington School District also provides health services to non-public schools in the Abington and Rockledge areas. Some of their duties consist of the following:
  
  
  • Assess individual student health and developmental status
    
  • Conduct state mandated physicals and screenings, e.g., height, weight, vision, hearing, body mass index, scoliosis
    
  • Assure that necessary physical and dental examinations are completed
    
  • Develop health plans for students with health conditions
    
  • Coordinate prevention and control of communicable disease
    
  • Develop a system of first aid and emergency care
    
  • Participate in health education
    
  • Recommend new and updated health policies
    

The School Psychologist

• School psychologists are educational specialists who use their knowledge of psychology and educational research to help confront many educational problems experienced by children, teachers, parents, and communities. They are skilled practitioners in the areas of psycho-educational assessment, childhood development, behavioral management, individual/group counseling, and consultation. Above all, they are advocates for children. The school psychologists in the elementary schools provide guidance services for the schools. Each psychologist is assigned to one school building. Copper Beech, the Junior High, and Senior High Schools have two psychologists assigned to them. The school psychologists are involved in many activities. Some of their duties consist of the following:
   
  • Conduct classroom guidance
  • Offer consultation: parents, teachers, staff, administrators
  • Provide counseling: individual, group, crisis, classroom
  • Participate as a core member in prereferral/prevention teams
  • Evaluate/Assess: academic skills, aptitude for learning, eligibility for special services, social-emotional development and mental health status, evaluate learning environments
  • Communicate with private agencies and provide assistance to students returning from outside placements
  • Provide workshops and inservices on various and selected themes
  • Lead crisis management activities
  • Provide guidance in the interpretation of standardized and state assessments
    

Members of the Pupil Services Department often consult and refer parents to a variety of different Abington Township Agencies. For further information on the organizations and agencies, please contact a Pupil Services staff member at your child’s school or click on the links listed below:

Abington Memorial Hospital – www.amh.org

Office of Children and Youth – www.montcopa.org/mcocy/

The Center for Parenting Education – www.CenterforParentingEducation.org

Aldersgate Youth Services Bureau – www.aldersgateservices.org