Burrell finds success with more behavioral help on site

Burrell School District’s Pupil Services program, which the district started last year, has treated about 100 students for social-emotional behavior issues this school year.

Many of the students and some staff are treated for anxiety, said Greg Egnor, director of student services.

As the district’s mission is education, it tries to remove barriers to learning, Egnor said, and a big barrier is anxiety.

“We can address it with intervention and with more targeted counseling,” he said.

The district also can work with counselors outside of the school district, which has been the traditional go-to.

But covid-19 changed that.

“A lot of evidence points out that anxiety issues were exacerbated by the pandemic,” Egnor said. “While these behavioral issues were happening before the pandemic, the pandemic made it worse, and now we’re responding to it.”

Burrell’s program was initiated last year by the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief program and funds, a part of the American Rescue Plan Act.

School districts across the county have spent their ESSER funds on teachers, counselors, academic recovery, mental health, and health and safety improvements, according to a report on ESSER funds issued March 11 by the White House.

At schools nationwide, the funding supported a 65% increase in social workers and a 17% increase in counselors, according to the White House.

Burrell built its Pupil Services team last year with the school psychologist, a new social worker and behavior specialist, all licensed through the state Department of Education. The team includes a counseling interventionist, through contracted services, that provides help with classroom behavior for students.

Traditionally, Burrell offered a student assistance program that connected students to support in the community.

In the past year, referrals for the traditional student assistance programs declined by 10% to 20%, he said. The decline is caused by a combination of factors, he said, including barriers to insurance coverage and the district’s ability to support more needs.

Pupil Services had about 100 students in referral for the 2021-22 school year. That’s about twice as many students with traditional referrals for services outside of the school district.

“Our service team fills a void even more so now,” Egnor said.

The Pupil Services team is partially supported by ESSER money, which will run out eventually. The district wants to explore keeping the team and positions long term, Egnor said.