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During our school closure, I’ve been host- NJASP Supports School Psychologists
ing “Virtual Town Hall” meetings with par- By Eli Freund, President, New Jersey Association of School
Psychologists
ents via Zoom. I essentially do one morning and
one evening session every other week, all are welcome. The New Jersey Association of School Psychol-
I share what’s happening in our remote learning classes ogists (NJASP) understood the plight that our
and they can ask questions or share concerns. I’ve also members were in once it was decided that school
been zooming with teachers of course, both formally and doors had to shut, and schools had to be virtual.
informally for faculty meetings and “spring break happy What would evaluating students look like? Are there ethical standards
hour” but the parent meetings have been very well-re- that may be at play? Therefore, NJASP developed a position paper in-
ceived and helpful in maintaining a strong and positive cluding a FAQ and sent it out to our contacts so that school psychologists
school community! would be able to refer to.
- Christine McCoid, Principal, Hazlet Middle School NJASP also developed a Wakelet which is continuously updated with
information and resources to provide ideas, articles, DOE information.
NJASP has a discussion board for our members who have questions or
are looking to share what their district is doing.
Finally, NJASP hosts webinars to provide best practices on evaluating
students, developing IEPs, dyslexia and so on.
This is a difficult time for all of us, students and adults alike. However,
there is a tremendous amount of resiliency and flexibility that is being
shown. At the same time there will be new questions about the return of
students and teachers to schools. What will that look like? What about the
mental health of the students, teachers and administrators? A committee
was developed to provide answers to these questions and much more. The
committee has developed a fantastic resource. It is entitled the NJASP:
Considerations forSchool Re-Entry duringCOVID-19: Supporting Social
and Emotional Learning and Mental andBehavioral Health Upon School
Re-Entry through a TraumaInformed, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support
(MTSS) Framework. It is worth including in your school reentry plan. As
stated earlier, include your school psychologists into these discussions.
Watchung Hills Regional High School put together a montage They are a tremendous resource within your school and district.
called WH Cares. The largest takeaway that from this historic event is this, we are ALL in this
- William Librera, Principal, Watchung Hills together and NJASP is proud to be part of this.
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