Lucky number 7. This is how many years Jerome Hallan has served as a school social worker. He’s not only committed to the work, but to Durham Public Schools: Hallan is a DPS graduate, having attended Forest View Elementary School, Githens Middle School, and Jordan High School before going to Appalachian State University to prepare for his career.
Hallan says he knew he wanted to work in some type of “people-helping profession” so he majored in psychology and earned his master’s degree in social work from UNC-Chapel Hill before returning to Durham with his credentials. He says he’s unwavering in his decision to return home to work for Durham Public Schools as a school social worker.
Last year, his colleagues and the district acknowledged how much his commitment and competence means to students, families, and the district by voting him School Social Worker of the Year. He credits his peers as well as teachers he had as a student who made him feel seen and heard and who helped mold him into the person and professional he is today. As a result, he strives to do the same with the students he serves at Carrington Middle School.
Student and Family Liaisons
“You can describe school social workers as eliminating barriers to academic success,” Hallan succinctly stated. Overall, their duties and tasks are to serve as student and family liaisons who put resources in place to address issues such as housing or food insecurity, transportation, and academic assistance. They also facilitate small group sessions to allow students to express themselves and learn how to cope.
In most schools, school social workers manage co-located mental health programs, as well.
“We educate parents and guardians about mental health services to explain away the stigma. All people deserve to have someone they can talk to and receive good social-emotional skill service,” he said.
School social workers serve as point persons, he said. They also lead attendance efforts at their schools to avoid chronic absenteeism and work collaboratively with school counselors.
“Attendance is interesting because when you open the window to many of the barriers that students and their families face, school social workers are uniquely trained to address them, from community and safety issues to mental health,” Hallan said. “I am constantly on my cell phone with parents and guardians. I’ve come to really love the relationship part of the job. We facilitate referrals.”
He says that there should be easier access to resources for students and families. For example, co-located mental health services have been cut for students without health insurance, but they remain critical services. Just as importantly, he says there should be more affordable housing options, as well as shelter beds for emergency housing crises.
While school social workers spend much of their time connecting students with the resources that they and their families need to thrive, he says he also aims to serve as a leader in his field who can be depended upon to advocate for the resources that he and his colleagues need to feel supported in their work, such as hiring additional professionals and being compensated for their credentials.
He’s also committed to mentoring those who are new to the field, a relationship he says is indisputably reciprocal.
“I learn from them (mentees), too,” he said.
Community Support
Hallan facilitates SPARCS, an evidence-based therapy group for students who have experienced trauma or who live in chronically stressful situations. The initiative teaches self- and stress-management. At Carrington, there is a resource center that houses new and gently used clothes, hygiene, and household items. It’s open to students and their family members. Donations help to keep the resource center stocked.
Hallan conducts weekly home visits to those with whom he's not able to reach readily, which helps him to build rapport.
School social workers also conduct safety assessments and conduct the follow-up work needed to ensure that families are connected with the resources they need. Some of his peers serve SEL coaches at their schools. Hallan is the designated coach at Carrington. In that role, he trains teachers on how to facilitate SEL lessons, tools, knowledge, and skills.
Social work is patience-bearing, Hallan said.
“The work we do is not a quick overnight fix,” said Hallan, noting that removing barriers to academic success is the goal, but that sometimes “putting education aside for a moment to be there for a human experience and show that somebody sees you and cares for you and tries to be there for you through a really tough time is most important. Even if I wasn’t able to get that kid’s grades up, somebody cared. That’s the notion I hope to give the families I interact with.”
Hallan adds that school social workers lean and rely on each other a lot, particularly for their expertise.
“The best resource for school social workers is other social workers,” he said. “We are all the time calling each other for new perspectives. I love my school social worker community and find them to be a huge asset to my professional growth.”
Hallan said he looks forward to the monthly school social worker meetings. "Social workers are sort of like 'professional minorities' because they are the only people in the building doing what they do,” he said.
Long-Term Commitment
Hallan said self-care has become a necessity for him. He said he has “a wonderful spouse who is incredibly understanding.” He said they talk about work but not too much. He lives by the quote “I have done all I can today. I can do more tomorrow. I’m going home now.”
“There’s always more stuff to do, and l leave work thinking I should've done this or that. My to-do list is never-ending,” he said.
But he’s quick to say that he’s not complaining.
“We’re proud and happy to do the job. It’s tough because the average school social worker to student ratio is 1:750 in Durham, while the national recommendation is 1:250. I empathize with our high school social workers,” he said.
Hallan is here for the long haul, he said.
“The cool thing about being a school social worker is that you’re always learning with this job. It forces you to stay current with government and local policies and how they trickle down and impact families. We have to be cognizant of resources. It’s a job that always keeps you active,” he said.
