Counseling Services
School Counseling Services
DoWEA school counselors provide a school counseling program that supports all students in grades K–12. These programs help establish a foundation for lifelong learning by identifying and addressing barriers to academic success. Early identification and supports are critical to fostering student achievement, promoting academic growth, and ensuring equitable access to learning opportunities. Through direct and indirect student services, as well as classroom instruction and other counseling activities, school counselors help students develop the knowledge, skills, and behaviors necessary to reach their academic potential and successfully prepare for post-secondary goals.
Elementary school counseling programs play a critical role in shaping students' attitudes and perceptions of school, themselves, and their peers. At the elementary level, counselors provide preventive and responsive services that promote academic development, social-emotional growth, and career awareness. Through these supports, students build the knowledge, confidence, and competencies needed to become successful learners and productive members of their school community.
Secondary school counseling programs are designed to meet the rapidly changing needs of students in grades 6–12 while preparing them for success in high school and beyond. College and career exploration and planning are key components of the secondary school counseling program. As middle school students develop greater independence and take on increased responsibilities, counselors help them connect academic learning to real-world applications while fostering effective study and learning skills.
At the high school level, school counseling programs support students in preparing for successful postsecondary college and career pathways. All secondary students develop and maintain a four- to six-year academic and career plan with their counselor through SchooLinks. This individualized plan helps students set and achieve graduation, college, and career goals while considering their interests, aptitudes, and graduation requirements.
Please contact your school counselor for additional information regarding the school counseling program.
Applicable DoW Policies
Attendance Policy
This applies to:
Modification date
This policy is under review
In accordance with the policy stated in DoWEA Regulation 2095.01, “School Attendance,” August 26, 2011, as amended, school attendance is mandatory. All students are required to attend school to ensure continuity of instruction and that they successfully meet academic standards and demonstrate continuous educational progress. School attendance is a joint responsibility between the parent or sponsor, student, classroom teacher, school personnel, and, in some cases, the Command. Students with excessive school absences (or tardiness) shall be monitored by the Student Support Team to assist in the completion of all required work and successful mastery of course objectives.
Daily student attendance is identified based upon a quarter of the school day formula. Students will be identified as present or absent, based on the following criteria:
- Absent up to 25% of the school day = absent one-quarter of the school day
- Absent between 26%–50% of the school day = absent one-half of the school day
- Absent 51%–75% of the school day = absent three-quarters of the school day
- Absent 76%–100% of the school day = full-day absence
DoWEA considers the following conditions to constitute reasonable cause for absence from school for reasons other than school-related activities:
- Personal illness;
- Medical, dental, or mental health appointment;
- Serious illness in the student’s immediate family;
- A death in the student’s immediate family or of a relative;
- Religious holiday;
- Emergency conditions such as fire, flood, or storm;
- Unique family circumstances warranting absence and coordinated with school administration;
- College visits that cannot be scheduled on non-school days; and
- A pandemic event.
Unexcused absences may result in school disciplinary actions. An absence from school or a class without written verification from a parent or sponsor will be unexcused. Student attendance is calculated based upon the date of enrollment in a DoWEA school, which may occur anytime during the school year. Student attendance monitoring is designed to provide a continuum of intervention and services to support families and children in keeping children in school and combating truancy and educational neglect. Parents should notify the school of their child’s absence 30 minutes after the start of the school day. Too many unexcused absences may trigger the Student Support Team to convene.
Applicable DoW Policies
DoWEA Attendance Program
School attendance is important and in order to receive the best education, students need to Be Here! DoWEA's system-wide attendance policy for students is consistent with those found in many public schools throughout the United States.
School attendance issues have been identified as a serious issue for children throughout the country and military children are no exception.
DoWEA's attendance policy provides specific guidance on attendance, absences and identifies support services for students at-risk for not fulfilling the grade or course requirements.
It's not surprising that regular school attendance correlates directly with success in academic work, improves social interaction with adults and peers and provides opportunities for important communication between teachers and students. Regular attendance also has a cumulative effect of establishing life-long positive traits - responsibility, determination, respect for rules of society - that are critical for developing career readiness skills, success in college and in life.
Here are a few of the highlights of the policy:
- All students are required to attend school for 175 instructional days per school year.
- Academic penalties will not be imposed for excused absences.
- Whenever a student needs to be out for more than five days, the teacher will provide a Student Educational Monitoring Plan to lessen the impact of a student missing instruction in class.
- Excused absences can include:
- Personal illness
- Medical, dental, or mental health appointment
- Serious illness in the student's immediate family
- A death in the student's immediate family or of a relative
- Religious holiday
- Emergency conditions such as fire, flood, or storm
- Unique family circumstances warranting absence and coordinated with school administration.
- College visits that cannot be scheduled on non-school days
- Reasonable amounts of time surrounding deployments and reintegration providing missed schoolwork is obtained in advance and completed upon return.
The policy establishes a balance between the need for military families to spend time together following deployment, while emphasizing the importance of education. We have and will continue to be as flexible as possible in accommodating the precious time families have together but flexibilities and accommodations have limitations, especially when they impact on student performance and attendance at school.
Procedures for monitoring daily student attendance and communicating with families are established in this policy. Academic penalties will not be imposed for excused absences. Students at-risk will be monitored by the Student Support Team and school administration to include the identification of supports and interventions.
Many families - both military and non-military - underestimate the importance of regular school attendance for young children (kindergarten and first grade) but even missing just 5% of kindergarten - that's just nine days - can be an indicator that a child will fall behind by the fifth grade.
Children take their cue from their parents when it comes to the importance of school attendance. To have a quality education experience, you need to be here.
There are times when a student needs to miss school - everyone understands that. But attendance is important. To have a quality education experience, you need to Be Here.
Attendance: What parents should know:
- Parents can team up with teachers to make sure students are in school and ready to learn.
- How parents can help:
- Schedule medical and dental appointments outside of school hours.
- Schedule vacations during school breaks.
- Schedule Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves to coincide with summer breaks or other scheduled school breaks.
- When moving, check school calendars to be aware of important school dates (beginning/ending of school year; testing dates, breaks, etc.).
- Make it a habit to contact their child's teachers/principals to arrange to pick up missed school work, either in advance if the absence is known, or the same day their child is absent.
Bully Prevention
This applies to:
Modification date
This policy is under review
In the wake of school violence throughout the world, it is important to analyze the causes of violence and implement preventive measures to assure that every student and adult will feel secure in the school environment. DoWEA implemented a system-wide Bully Prevention program as a part of the Safe Schools and Character Education program.
Bullying is defined as a means to have power over another and it takes many forms: physical, verbal, and indirect such as gossip and isolation. Bullying leaves long-lasting scars for its victims. Bullies have a higher incidence of antisocial behavior, domestic violence and crime as adults. Society pays a heavy toll for tolerating bullying behavior and bullies.
In DoWEA schools and community, bullying will not go unchallenged and will not be tolerated. All students, staff members, parents and the community play vital roles to ensure our children are not bullied, do not act as bullies, and will not allow others to bully. Our schools have a moral obligation to provide our students and the school community with the proper information, prevention strategies, and defenses to create a safe, accepting and caring environment for all.
Applicable DoW Policies
How to Prevent Bullying
What is Bullying?
Bullying is a widespread and serious problem across our nation. It's what happens when someone repeatedly hurts or threatens another person on purpose. Bullying comes in many forms-name-calling, leaving people out, spreading rumors or physically hurting someone. And it can happen in person, in writing, online, on cell phones, in school, on the bus, at home, or anywhere. It is not a normal rite of passage, it has serious consequences and it's NOT acceptable.
What is DoWEA doing about it?
DoWEA is firmly committed to providing all students with a safe and supportive learning environment. Every child is entitled to feel safe in the classroom, in the hallway and on playgrounds and buses. Bullying, verbal harassment, and cyber-bullying interfere with a student's ability to learn. All of us, teachers, administrators, students and parents, must work together to eliminate unacceptable bullying and harassing behavior. Together we can make our schools safe places to learn, grow and thrive.
Bully prevention will continue to be a top priority for DoWEA as we begin the school year. As a part of our commitment, DoWEA has joined forces with the Department of Health and Human Services and others to bring a reinvigorated and broader focus on bully prevention to our schools and communities. DoWEA will adopt the national slogan "Stop Bullying Now! Take a Stand. Lend a Hand," to help unify our efforts and build a common understanding of, and expectations for, DoWEA's commitment and action to prevent bullying.
This year, the Department of War and the Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention, are encouraging the youth in our military communities to submit original Public Service Announcements (PSAs) that showcase ways youth are taking action against bullying and promoting a culture of tolerance, kindness, and respect in their communities. PSAs should be informative and entertaining videos that send a positive message to youth about the importance of being "more than a bystander" to bullying in their schools and communities.
We owe and must provide every student the opportunity to learn and grow in a safe and nurturing environment. Learn more about doing your part to stop bullying now.
Military and Family Life Counseling
The Military and Family Life Counseling (MFLC) Program provides free, confidential, non-medical counseling and support to military-connected children and families. Contact your school counselor to find out whether MFLC services are available at your school.
What is the Military and Family Life Counseling Program?
Military families face unique challenges, including deployments, relocations, reintegration and other transitions. The Department of War provides professional, licensed Military and Family Life Counselors (MFLCs) who offer non-medical counseling and support to service members, military families, children and school staff.
MFLCs support military communities at installations around the world at no cost to eligible families.
Is MFLC counseling confidential?
MFLCs work in partnership with military services and schools while maintaining confidentiality in accordance with program requirements.
MFLCs:
- Do not keep records of counseling sessions.
- Provide counseling at appropriate locations that support privacy and convenience.
- Rotate assignments periodically.
Confidentiality is subject to mandatory reporting requirements, including situations involving domestic violence, child abuse or neglect, and circumstances involving a duty to warn or protect.
What kinds of issues can an MFLC help with?
MFLCs provide short-term, non-medical support for challenges commonly experienced by military-connected children and families, including:
- School adjustment
- Deployment and reintegration
- Parent-child communication
- Conflict resolution
- Anger management
- Bullying
- Self-esteem and confidence
- Behavior management
- Sibling and family relationships
- Stress management
What does an MFLC do?
MFLCs support students, families and school communities in a variety of ways. They may:
- Facilitate deployment and reintegration groups at school.
- Help students and families develop positive coping and problem-solving skills.
- Facilitate skill-development groups for staff or parents.
- Provide referrals to military support services and community resources.
- Observe and engage with students during appropriate school activities.
- Participate in school events to provide outreach to parents and families.
- Help children develop bullying-prevention strategies and skills.
How is my child protected when working with an MFLC?
The MFLC Program has established requirements designed to protect children and families.
- An MFLC will not begin individual counseling with a child until a parent or guardian has provided the required consent.
- Parent or guardian permission forms are available through the school counselor or front office.
- MFLC interactions with children take place in accordance with program and school requirements.
- The Department of War monitors the MFLC Program to ensure counselors follow established policies, procedures and professional standards.
For additional information about MFLC services at your school, contact your school counselor.
