Editorial: Parents, staff, students ask school board for help

High school counselors are usually assigned to a student as the student enters ninth grade and then the counselor gets to know the student well and is able to give advice to get the student through the turmoils of high school and out into the world.
One student said her counselor helped get her through school and even answered late-night emails. BHS counselors are very important.
This is what a stream of ten speakers told the Van Buren Public School Board of Education at the end of a two-hour board meeting on Monday.
What they objected to is that the counselors now at the high school have been informed they are going to be elementary school counselors in the fall. One speaker said she asked why and was told the district is going in a new direction with counseling and it’s easier to find high school counselors to hire.
The school board listened impassively and did not reply to any of the hearfelt requests to revoke this decision and let these counselors who know the high school students keep serving them.
Grandparent Reg Ion asked the board if it would reply to the crowd of about 30 and there was no response. Ion asked School Supt. Kudlak to respond, and Kudlak said he would call Ion, but Ion didn’t wish to be called. He wanted the school leaders to offer words of support or help of some kind, but it didn’t.