HR 648: School Social Workers Association of Georgia; expertise and commitment to the well-being of students and their families; commend

House Resolution 648

By: Representatives Wilkerson of the 38th, Smith of the 41st, Berry of the 56th, McQueen of the 61st, and Newton of the 127th

A RESOLUTION

Recognizing and commending the School Social Workers Association of Georgia for its expertise and commitment to the well-being of students and their families; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, each year, thousands of children and their families in this state utilize the services of school social workers, who are master's level trained professionals working in our schools; and

WHEREAS, the School Social Workers Association of Georgia is a nonprofit entity that was formed in 1978 to help children and families access resources needed to allow children to thrive and learn; and

WHEREAS, the School Social Workers Association is a nonprofit association with more than 450 members statewide; and

WHEREAS, the School Social Workers Association of Georgia champions the needs of all children in Georgia's public schools and their families by ensuring access to mental health services, responding promptly to individual and school-wide crises, addressing educational barriers faced by homeless youth, and partnering with community members and organizations to secure resources aimed at enhancing student achievement; and

WHEREAS, the School Social Workers Association of Georgia seeks to promote the well-being of its members by offering conferences focused on wellness practices for school social workers and their communities and training that provides strategies to manage stress and prevent burnout and helps to ensure that its members remain effective and resilient in their roles, which is a practice that enhances their ability to support students' mental health and well-being, leading to a more positive and productive school environment as mental health challenges among youth continue to rise; and

WHEREAS, the School Social Workers Association of Georgia's members work tirelessly to remove student barriers to learning by intervening to improve school attendance, behavior, and academic achievement; coordinating family, school, and community resources to enable a child to learn as effectively as possible; alleviating stress by making connections for students, family, and school staff; providing crisis intervention services; assessing students with mental health concerns and making referrals where appropriate; identifying and reporting child abuse and neglect; conducting home visits; enhancing the professional capacity of school personnel; and assisting in implementing multi-tiered supports in schools.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body recognize and commend the School Social Workers Association of Georgia and its members for their work done to help provide crisis and counseling services to Georgia's children and their families as well as to improve Georgia's education system, including better student attendance and graduation rates. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to the School Social Workers Association of Georgia.