Beyond Textbooks, D.C. Schools Face a Host of Social Needs

"You don't have time to really dig deep," she said. "You don't get a chance to do the therapeutic work you thought you were signing up to do."

D.C. public schools, with 50,000 children, have 117 social workers, 31 provided by the city's Department of Mental Health. The agency also provides 11 social workers to charter schools; many of them also hire their own. Virtually all the social workers in the traditional public schools are assigned to students with learning disabilities and emotional problems.

One of them, Candi Peterson, shuttles among four schools. Last year, Peterson had a truancy case that reminded her of the Jacks case. A student had missed 70 days of school, prompting a report to the Child and Family Services Agency. She said the agency never reported back to her to indicate what the problem was. The student eventually returned months later but offered no clear explanation for the absence.

George Parker, president of the Washington Teachers' Union, says more social workers are desperately needed. He believes every school deserves its own social worker.

"The children come with such significant needs that having a social worker is not a luxury," he said. "It's a need."

Homelessness and Neglect

Ten families at AppleTree Early Learning Public Charter School's three sites are homeless this year.

Stacey King, the social worker responsible for the 150 3- and 4-year-olds, reported two cases of potential abuse this year. One involved a child who told King that he had been burned by his mother on a stove. The other came after a parent failed to pick up a 3-year-old at the end of the day. The District contracts with groups such as Positive Nature, a therapeutic program for after school, holiday breaks and summers.

Most referrals are abuse and neglect cases, said Jennifer Murphy, the group's director and co-founder. Many of the children it has served come from foster homes, have been suspended several times from school or have been exposed to substance abuse. The problems start early.

"We're seeing these issues presenting at younger and younger ages," said Murphy, who seeks to alter their behavior through art, woodworking and drama.

Young America Works, a high school with 250 students, has four social workers and counselors, all with more work than they can handle. The needs are staggering.

The recent shooting of a student's friend set off a wave of grief. Dozens of students came to school for days afterward wearing T-shirts with the images of loved ones they had lost, some months or years earlier.

Whenever that happens, and it does regularly, it takes days or weeks for the student body to settle down, Evans said, sometimes only with the help of extra grief counselors.