On the recordMarch 9, 2017
The month of March is when social workers throughout the country celebrate Social Work Month. I am here today to honor a special group of social workers who work in one of the most important institutions in our society: our schools. To honor the vital role school social workers serve in our communities, I am proud to introduce H.R. 171, to recognize the many contributions of school social workers and to designate this week, March 5 through 11, as School Social Work Week. School social workers are critical members of a school's educational team. They strengthen partnerships between students' homes, schools, and communities as they work to ensure student academic success. School social workers are uniquely trained and specially equipped to mentor students who face emotional, academic, and behavioral barriers to learning. Their expertise guides students through serious life challenges, including poverty, disability, sexual and physical abuse, addiction, bullying, and various forms of familial separation such as military deployment, divorce, and incarceration. We now understand how these adverse childhood experiences and chronic exposures to the stressors affect the developing brain, particularly in a school setting where the academic demands are high and the social pressures can be life changing. We must better support these students to overcome these barriers to success.…
