International High School of New Orleans

Social Worker

The social worker promotes regular school attendance of students through on-going attendance monitoring at school, counseling with students and their parents, and consulting with school personnel regarding the effectiveness of the school’s attendance incentive plan.

Parent are encouraged to contact the social worker at any time. Students are encouraged to see the social worker before and after school, during lunch, or during elective courses. Parents are also welcome to schedule an appointment to meet with the social worker. Parents and students can make referrals for service to the social worker, for themselves or someone else by personally coming into the school or completing a referral form below.

How can I report child abuse or neglect?
Call 1-855-4LA-KIDS (1-855-452-5437) toll-free, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. All calls are confidential.

How can I report bullying or cyber bullying?
Submit this FORM to the principal or other school employee.

WHAT are some of the specific services that School Social Workers provide?

Related Services:

Participating in special education assessment meetings as well as individual Educational Planning Meetings
Working with those problems in a child’s living situation that affect the child’s adjustment in school. (home, school, and community)
Counseling (group, individual and/or family)
Mobilizing family, school, and community resources to enable the child to learn as effectively as possible in his or her educational program
Assisting in developing positive behavioral intervention strategies

Services To Students:

Providing crisis intervention.
Developing intervention strategies to increase academic success
Assisting with conflict resolution and anger management
Helping the child develop appropriate social interaction skills
Assisting the child in understanding and accepting self and others

Services To Parent/Families:

Working with parents to facilitate their support in their children’s school adjustment
Alleviating family stress to enable the child to function more effectively in school &community
Assisting parents to access programs available to students with special needs
Assisting parents in accessing and utilizing school and community resources

Services To School Personnel:

Providing staff with essential information to better understand factors (cultural, societal, economic, familial, health, etc.) affecting a student’s performance and behavior
Assessing students with mental health concerns
Developing staff in-service training programs
Assisting teachers with behavior management
Providing direct support to staff

Parents

Complete the referral form to receive service for yourself or someone else.

Referral Form

Students

Complete the referral form to receive service for yourself or someone else.

Referral Form

Intervention Services (RTI)

Parents who are concerned about their child’s progress should speak to their child’s teacher about the intervention process. Response to Intervention integrates assessments and intervention with a multi-level prevention system to maximize student achievement and to reduce behavior problems. With RTI, IHSNO can identify students at risk for poor learning outcomes, monitor student progress, provide evidence-based interventions and adjust the intensity and nature of those interventions depending on a student’s responsiveness and identify student with disabilities. The student’s progress is then closely monitored by the teacher. Students who do not show progress in their regular education classes over several weeks are referred to the school’s Response to Intervention (RTI) team for review and further assessment to determine eligibility for 504 accommodations or special education services. A parent may contact IHSNO RTI Coordinator, Rosara Ortiz-Riley rosara.ortizriley@ihsnola.org if he/she is concerned that his/her child has a disability, wishes to learn more, or would like to request an evaluation.

Students with 504 Plans

Some students have disabling conditions that interfere with major life processes (ranging from breathing and walking to reading and learning) but that are not severe enough to qualify them for special education services. These students may benefit from a Section 504 Individual Accommodation Plan (from Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973), entitling them to supports and services – typically, various instructional accommodations – designed to enhance their success in the general education classroom.

International High School of New Orleans is committed to developing Section 504 Individual Accommodation Plans (IAP) for students as their needs arise, throughout the school year. Parent are encouraged to contact Mrs. Riley, 504 Coordinator rosara.ortizriley@ihsnola.org if he/she is concerned, wishes to learn more, or would like to request an evaluation.

Mandatory Abuse Reporting

Social workers, teachers and other school staff are required by law to report suspected child abuse or neglect when they have reasonable cause to believe such abuse, neglect or crime has occurred or is occurring. Abuse is the non-accidental physical, sexual or emotional injury to a child; neglect is the failure to fulfill a child’s physical or emotional needs. If you need to report abuse, please visit The Department of Children & Family Services