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B-A eliminates social worker position

BELLWOOD — Bellwood-Antis School Board members Tuesday voted to eliminate its licensed clinical social worker position at the end of the school year.

Julie Heckman has held the position since August 2000.

Superintendent Thomas McInroy said when he arrived at Bellwood-Antis in 2014, there was one guidance counselor and one social worker for 1,300 students. School board members recently hired Kelly Foust as elementary guidance counselor and Danielle Patton as middle school/high school guidance counselor.

Plans call for Patton to become the high school guidance counselor and board members will hire a middle school guidance counselor for next school year. The middle school counselor will teach guidance classes as well as perform other guidance-related duties, McInroy said.

The district is not displeased with Heckman’s work, but her certification does not allow her to perform the duties of a guidance counselor, McInroy said.

“She was a good social worker. She worked with families going through troubles. She would get them the help they needed. She was the liaison between the family and school. She filled a niche that was very important, but the guidance counselor can do all of these things,” McInroy said.

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