FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA ADVISORY
TOMORROW: CDF-CA Staff, Educators, and Students to Gather in Long Beach for ‘Reimagining School Counseling: Centering Student Voices’ Town Hall
The second annual town hall presents students a chance to discuss the importance of student wellness, while reimagining school counseling on Long Beach Unified School District campuses.
Media Contact:
Michael Ball, MBall@childrensdefense.org, CDF-CA Education Equity Policy Associate
Long Beach, CA—On Thursday, Children’s Defense Fund-California staff – in collaboration with Californians for Justice, ACLU SoCal, and Public Advocates, Inc. – will join students, families, Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) staff and other youth advocates for a town hall.
The town hall – which is taking place for a second year – comes after CDF-CA, the California Association of School Counselors, Public Advocates, and ACLU SoCal sent a letter to LBUSD officials last year highlighting their concern about the district’s disinvestment in school counselors. Teachers Association of Long Beach School Counselors Organizing Committee presented its related report – Reimagining School Counseling in the Long Beach Unified School District – in the fall of all 2022.
“CDF California’s Ed Equity team supports the Reimagining School Counseling campaign in their goal of implementing comprehensive school counseling programs & nationally- recommended student-to-counselor ratios of 250:1,” said CDF-CA Education Equity Policy Associate Michael Ball. “This combination is designed to provide individualized attention for each student, promote student achievement, and foster a caring community working with families to give our youth their best head start.”
Thursday’s town hall will provide students and their families a space to engage with LBUSD counselors, staff, and school board members about what they would like to see the district provide in terms of mental health services in the future. An article recently published by the Signal Tribune expressed LBUSD students’ desire to see the school district establish a comprehensive school counseling program and hire more mental health professionals.
“In this post-Covid world, the need for a comprehensive school counseling program has become more evident than ever before and is no longer a luxury but a necessity,” said Kennedy “Earl” Dixon, Long Beach Unified School District Counselor.
When: Thursday, November 16, 2023
4:30-6:30 p.m.
Where: Long Beach City College Pacific Coast Campus
Building QQ
Dyer Hall
1305 E. Pacific Coast Highway
*Students, counselors, and advocates will be available for interviews.
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About Children’s Defense Fund
Celebrating 50 years in 2023, Children’s Defense Fund envisions a nation where marginalized children flourish, leaders prioritize their well-being, and communities wield the power to ensure they thrive. The only national, multi-issue advocacy organization working at the intersection of child well-being and racial justice, CDF advances the well-being of America’s most diverse generation, the 74 million children and youth under the age of 18 and 30 million young adults under the age of 25. CDF’s grassroots movements in marginalized communities build power for child-centered public policy, informed by racial equity and the lived experience of children and youth. Its renowned CDF Freedom Schools® program is conducted in nearly 100 cities across 30 states and territories. Learn more at www.childrensdefense.org.