Counselor Lexie Stelnicki with Amanda Elementary students

*IN CASE YOU MISSED IT*

COVID-19 Relief Funds Put Counselors in all Middletown Elementary Schools

Both The Journal-News and WCPO-9 featured the Middletown City School District elementary school counselors. The district used federal relief money to hire seven school counselors for our elementary buildings. 

The counselors are in our buildings every day to help students with one-on-one meetings, small group social skills sessions, and classroom based lessons for social emotional learning. While there is a big focus on academic loss, Middletown is proud to say it's also placing an emphasis on mental health and the social emotional learning loss that occurred because of the pandemic. 

Read all about it below or click the WCPO link to watch the video.

Henry Reid, Counselor at Rosa Parks

Middletown City Schools uses COVID relief for school counselors
November 12, 2021
By Josh Bazan, WCPO-9

COVID-19 relief funds put counselors in all Middletown elementary schools
November 11, 2021
By Michael D. Clark, Journal-News Staff Writer

“For the first time ever, Middletown City Schools has dedicated counselors at every one of its buildings… 

“Federal coronavirus relief money allowed the district to afford placing counselors in every grade school, meaning [the schools] are taking big steps to support student mental health… 

“The historic number of changes impacting schools and students everywhere since the onset of the coronavirus in March 2020 have been uniquely challenging and even more so for younger children, said Middletown Schools Spokeswoman Elizabeth Beadle… 

“‘Having a school counselor focus on one building only is a huge plus for our students, especially given the past year plus," Beadle said. "I think many of us can agree mental health and social-emotional learning is so important, especially during this pandemic’...

“Henry Reid is one of the professionals helping students learn to identify and process emotions.

“‘The pandemic definitely left our students needing to build on a lot of skills,’ Reid said. ‘I ultimately get to support them in a lot of various ways in order to make sure that they can get through the school day and make it through the school year — whatever that success looks like for them, figuring that out and helping support them along the way… 

“Hiring new counselors was made possible by a federal COVID-19 relief funding program made available to schools nationwide. The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Grant Program, which is part of the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act is paying for the additional counselors… 

“‘Getting [students] the support they need emotionally and mentally is really big, especially as they're coming back from a pandemic… 

“Earlier this year, Middletown officials announced the additional federal money also helped the district avoid some $2.5 million in previously planned school budget cuts. And thanks to the ESSER funds, Middletown officials reported last month the city schools were financially in ‘great shape,’ with no need to ask residents for an operating tax hike until at least five more years.”