By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current
At a recent meeting, Geneseo School Board approved moving forward in implementing a CARES Classroom at Geneseo High School. The decision was made after GHS Principal Tom Ryerson presented the idea of and benefits of having a CARES Classroom at the high school. The acronym CARES stands for:
-C-Cultivating a supportive environment.
-A-Advancing social and emotional skills.
-R-Responding to student needs.
-E-Encouraging positive relationships.
-S-Supporting academic success.
Ryerson said he hopes to have the CARES Classroom in place sometime in the second semester.
The idea for the classroom is the result of the high school administration becoming more aware of an increase in students with more serious social and emotional needs.
Ryerson said in order to help provide mental health support to students, GHS would like to pilot a CARES Classroom.
The CARES Classrooms is a self-contained classroom to target students who are not successful in the general education classroom due to high social/emotional needs. The classroom is a temporary setting for students to provide individualized academic and social emotional supports.
Ryerson explained there is a population of GHS students who would benefit from attending an in-house school program to meet their high social emotional/mental health needs.
-6-10 students have chosen home school in the past three years due to social emotional needs.
-Uptick in number of students needing SEL (social and emotional) services.
-Goal is to keep students in school.
-Transition form hospitalization to regular classroom setting is too fast for some individuals.
The classroom would be housed at GHS, and staffed by an adult with knowledge of social and emotional development, SEL programs and methodologies, and an adult who has a four-year degree in a related field.
Students would be provided a blend of therapeutic and educational services in a small group setting, using a multidisciplinary team approach. Students in the CARES Classroom would be supported through a team of professionals – school social worker, school psychologist, school counselors, nurse (as needed), other outside mental health agencies as needed, and teachers.
Services offered in the CARES Classroom would be designed to promote:
-Problem-solving skills and appropriate coping skills.
-Improvement of overall mental wellness.
-Self-Confidence.
--Daily academic/educational support with certified trained staff, to help students remain on track with their educational needs and graduation requirements.
-A successful transition back to the general education environment.
Ryerson said the goal of the CARES Classroom would be to transition students back into the regular classroom setting…The CARES Classroom is a temporary setting for students and he hopes to have the CARES Classroom in place sometime in the second semester.
