“We’re working backwards,” said Laura Fein Zottola, school social worker and member of the White Plains TA. Without enough staff, with elimination of programs, “we wind up missing things on the proactive end.”
She is the only social worker for 640 kids.
“If we can catch cases early, if we provide tools for social emotional learning, imagine what they can do in the world,” said Denise Cherico, first-grade teacher.
NYSUT President Andy Pallotta knows the problem. When he was a teacher in the Bronx, his school was plagued by student violence, and the lone social worker struggled to keep up. Finally, the school hired three more social workers.
“The entire tone of the school changed,” Pallotta said. “We want to stop the crisis before it happens.”