Paw Paw Public Schools is excited to be partnering with the Van Buren Intermediate School District this year to provide Mental Health services and supports to our students. This program is new this year and is funded through the 31 N Grant that was given out in 2019. This grant was given to forty two Michigan school districts.
Paw Paw has welcomed Mental Health Clinician Stacy Coon- Ballard, LMSW. These services are provided across our Middle School, High School and Aspire Academy at Cedar Street. Other districts in the county currently only have clinicians serving at the Middle School level. In addition, we are thankful that Stacy is exclusively serving in Paw Paw, as most clinicians are currently shared between two districts.
Stacy works with students by providing mental health counseling or therapy. She currently has 24 students on her caseload across the 3 buildings. Students are referred to Stacy, and then the student must obtain parental consent to begin sessions. This allows for students to receive the services they need while allowing them to stay in school and avoid missing important educational time, as well as providing a no cost option to families needing these services.
Stacy Coon- Ballard comes with a wealth of experience and knowledge. She has worked in a variety of settings allowing her a knowledge of systems and resources across the mental health world. We are thankful to have her and to have this important support available to Paw Paw students through this partnership with Van Buren ISD.