Mesa Public Schools is supporting families’ needs, during COVID-19, by developing specialized family support network (FSN) teams to assist with a variety of issues — from internet access and food security to health and wellness.
Each of Mesa’s 82 schools identified three to five individuals on their campus as the first point of contact for families seeking support. Teams include members such as the school nurse, social worker, family support specialist and staff who have relationships with a variety of community members. This network supports family needs including food security, safe and reliable internet access for remote learning, counseling, drug addiction assistance, behavioral health and eviction assistance.
“We are using teamwork to get families’ needs filled,” says Michele Grimaldi, community partnerships coordinator for Mesa Public Schools. “These teams are available to support all of our families and their needs, from all schools, all backgrounds and all cultures.”
Michele shares that every school website has a red help button, making it easy for families to request help for issues such as getting a device or wellness support for their child. Once a family submits a help request, their need and contact information are sent to the designated point of contact at the school site. On the first day of school, Michele reported that 280 families reached out for health and wellness resources.
Remote Learning
Marlo Loria, director of CTE and innovative partnerships, coordinates assistance with technology issues for schools. She works with staff members who are school technology leads on each campus. Team leads identify students who need access to home internet. These employees assist families in attaining internet service through Cox Communications, or by requesting an AT&T hotspot, and they connect families to online resources for Canvas, Webex and other technology. By the first week of school, the district had distributed more than 50,000 devices and checked out more than 400 AT&T hotspots.
“Learning by remote has made it critical to ensure that all of our students have access to technology, and that parents know how to access resources so they can support their children in a remote learning environment,” Marlo said.
Mesa Public Schools provides a variety of resources and support for students and families in need. Learn more at mpsaz.org/parentresources.
Article by Elliott Adams and Laurie Struna. Photo by Samantha Chow.