Full-time counselor to be on-staff at Freeport
BUFFALO TWP — Freeport School District is taking a proactive approach regarding mental health.
The school board at its August meeting unanimously approved adding a full-time counselor that will be available to students in grades six through 12.
Superintendent Ian Magness said on Tuesday that the district's administrators and school board began considering a full-time mental health counselor about a year ago while studying school security issues.
“We wanted to be proactive and we wanted to address, in a much more holistic manner, school safety and getting kids what they need,” Magness said.
He and the school board hope students will use the counselor for bullying issues, anxiety, depression or any other issues they may be dealing with.
Magness said a mentally healthy school population is one that is less likely to suffer a tragic event at the hands of a violent student.
Students who are in need of mental health services but whose families cannot afford them due to insurance constraints or other issues can also visit the new school counselor, Magness said.
“We wanted something in the buildings that is readily accessible to our children during the school day that we could utilize to assist our kids for any reason,” he said.
Read more in the Butler Eagle.
