By Ashley M. Casey

Associate Editor

Baldwinsville Central School District officials hosted the second of three Coffee and Conversation sessions for the 2020-21 academic year. The meeting, which provides updates on various district departments and allows community members to ask questions in an informal setting, took place during two sessions Jan. 7 via Zoom.

Acting Superintendent Joe DeBarbieri facilitated the meeting, which included presentations on the school resource officer program, human resources, special education and mental health services.

Videos of both the 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. sessions are available on the district’s website, bville.org. Read on for highlights from the noon session.

School resource officers and human resources

DeBarbieri introduced the four school resource officers: Jenna Quattrini, Andrea Natoli and Chrissy Allen from the Baldwinsville Police Department and Deputy Katie Kruger from the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office. DeBarbieri said the SRO program’s partnership with the Baldwinsville PD dates back to the 1980s, and the Sheriff’s Office joined in the 2000s.

“This has been a longstanding program and we’re very proud of the role our school resource officers play in our organization,” DeBarbieri said.

Quattrini is based in Baker High School and also does outreach at Elden Elementary. Kruger handles Ray Middle School and Reynolds, Palmer and McNamara elementary schools. Natoli is returning to Durgee Junior High School and Van Buren Elementary after recently having a baby. Allen had filled in for Natoli while she was on maternity leave. While Allen will no longer be stationed in the schools, she will still be involved in the SRO program.

The officers said disciplinary issues, crime and drugs have been less present in B’ville schools this year, thanks to hybrid learning and smaller class sizes. Allen said there has only been one fight at Durgee this year.

But the isolation of the pandemic presents new challenges to the SROs. While the district historically has emphasized the role of SROs as mentors and counselors, that aspect of their job has become more pronounced this year.

“We’ve had more at-home calls to go do status checks on students if they haven’t been participating in remote learning,” Quattrini said.

Allen said the SROs also check in with families if a student types a concerning or inappropriate message in the chat box during remote instruction.

“We just follow up with them and we provide assistance for the families if they need assistance for any mental health evaluations and whatnot,” she said.

The SROs are a boon not just to the students but to district staff as well.

“Above and beyond assisting the administration and the teaching staff, our school resource officers are in the classrooms they’re making connections with students. They’re essentially additional counselors for all of our students and staff in the building,” DeBarbieri said.

Speaking of supporting the district’s employees, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources David Kilcourse gave an overview of his department.

“This year more than ever it’s been a crazy year with COVID and we’ve really had to figure out supports not just for our students but … providing our staff with reasonable accommodations to ensure that our staff can be healthy and safe so they can be there and do their job for our students,” Kilcourse said.

Human resources is responsible for recruiting and hiring quality candidates for employment, contract negotiations, professional development and training. Kilcourse handles training, complaints and investigations for Title IX and the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA), which governs how the district deals with bullying and harassment. He is the hearing officer for student disciplinary proceedings and is on the code of conduct committee.

Kilcourse also sits on the district’s mental wellness committee, which includes administrators, faculty, staff, SROs and community members.

Special education and mental health

For many students with special needs, the best way to receive services is in person. When schools abruptly went remote in March 2020, the district’s providers faced a “huge learning curve for teletherapy,” said Rocco Nalli, director of special education.

Special education services include Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), 504 plans (which lay out accommodations for students with disabilities),  speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, hearing and vision services, and psychological services.

In crafting the reopening plan for the fall of 2020, Nalli said, the district prioritized high-needs students for five days a week of in-person instruction.

“Students with disabilities especially our higher needs kids do not respond the same as other students to being instructed in a remote setting,” he said. “Being instructed in person really does make a difference.”

Nalli reiterated the district’s commitment to integrated co-teaching classrooms, in which students with and without disabilities learn side by side from two teachers, one of whom is a special education teacher. He said the state recommends integrated co-teaching but does not require it.

“We think it’s the best way to support kids. After doing it for many years, we continue to be convinced that this is the best outcome. Integrated co-teaching classrooms are not just good for kids with disabilities, they’re good for all kids in the classroom,” Nalli said. “Students with disabilities do not feel like they’re being singled out.”

Disabled students can receive many of the services they need without having to disrupt their day by moving to another classroom. Kids who do not have a diagnosed disability but might be struggling can benefit from the extra help a special education teacher can provide.

Karrie LaMacchia, director of pupil and personnel services, said Baldwinsville has about 850 students with identified disabilities. Her department works with the special education department to provide evaluations for IEPs and 504 plans, many of which have had to be adjusted for remote or hybrid learning. LaMacchia’s department also oversees the summer school program.

Also under the umbrella of pupil and personnel services are mental health evaluation and counseling, which have become even more crucial during the pandemic.

“A lot of students are really struggling with their mental health. …Students are being diagnosed with anxiety or if things are going on they might need accommodations that they didn’t need in the past,” LaMacchia said.

While school officials were concerned about how to reach struggling students during periods of isolation, LaMacchia said the district offers crisis support, referrals to mental health services and is continuing social-emotional learning programs like the Positivity Project remotely.

Other areas of focus for the pupil and personnel services department are deescalation training, college and career readiness, and substance abuse prevention education.

The district’s K-12 School Counseling Program, which is required by the state, benefits from the input of not just counselors, psychologists and social workers, but teachers and administrators throughout the district. The effort is collaborative and ongoing as technology, current events and society change.

“It’s something that we constantly have to look at and revise,” LaMacchia said.