At Issue
ISD social worker doing all she can to keep students in school
Social worker Kristine Samuelson debriefs with students after an activity that encouraged studenst to communicate and work together.
There’s nothing typical about a typical day for Kristine Samuelson, a school social worker.
Her days are spent at medical appointments with students, doing one-on-one interventions to help disruptive teens, and leading team-building exercises to build life skills. There are medications to dispense, teachers to consult, counseling sessions and a myriad of other tasks.
Whatever her day looks like, she’s driven by a singular mission:
“If we can save some of these students, we’ll have done our job,” says Samuelson, who works at the day treatment program ISD social worker doing all she can to keep students in school for emotionally impaired students, housed at the Doris Klaussen Developmental Center in Battle Creek. Operated by the Calhoun Intermediate School District, the center runs several special education programs.
Samuelson’s work is important; studies show that students with special needs are more likely to drop out and less likely than typical students to graduate with standard diplomas.
The students served by the day treatment program are considered at risk of dropping out. Without the highly structured educational program, many of the students wouldn’t have anyplace else to go for school. Many, in fact, would probably leave school and never gain the skills needed to get a job, Samuelson said.
For some public school students, Samuelson provides the necessary mental health care that allows them to stay in school until graduation. The program’s purpose is to provide students with a safe and structured alternative school placement in which to learn behaviors necessary to be successful in the regular school setting.
“I love what I do,” Samuelson said. “I know that we’re making a difference in the lives of our students.”