School Social Workers are trained mental health professionals who facilitate activities and interventions that increase students’ availability to learn and provide them a connection to their school environment. How Social Workers accomplish this mission is by
- Providing direct service to students and families for immediate and emergency needs
- Offer services to support the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act such as attending intervention meetings, preparing sociocultural assessments, attending eligibility meetings, providing IEP counseling, and participate in the drafting of Functional Behavioral Assessments and Behaviors Intervention Plans.
- Provide Tier II and Tier III interventions such as individual counseling, small group counseling, and assist with interventions for students with chronic attendance concerns.
- Work with school staff to provide crisis interventions, suicide assessments, threat assessments, re-entry meetings following a crisis, participate in Best Interest Determination meetings for students in foster care, and Child Protective Services referrals.
- Partner with outside agencies for families that have multiple needs, often through a referral to Comprehensive Child Study.
The School Social Worker at Forest Park H.S., Marc DeAngelo, MSW, has worked in PWCS as a School Social Worker since 2000 and has worked in nine schools throughout his career.
- Marc has presented information on Understanding Self-Injury to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), community agencies, PWCS staff, and parents.
- Marc coordinates that Signs Of Suicide Prevention Program presented at Forest Park H.S. and has provided assistance as well as presented at the Forst Park H.S. Suicide Awareness Walk since 2015.
- Marc is also a self-published author who has written a young-adult short story about overcoming personal struggles by seeing one's resources as gifts and not hinderances; set to an adventure story about a rising sixth grader and his friends as they embark on their town's annual river run challenge.
Marc is at Forest Park H.S. five days a week and can be reached at:
RESOURCES IN THE COMMUNITY
Prince William County Community Services
(24-hour emergency services)Manassas Office: 703-792-7800Woodbridge Office: 703-792-4900
Substance Abuse/ Addiction Treatment
Free online resource for locating treatment centers