Communities In Schools Issues Statement in Support of the Communities Serving Schools Act of 2020

Communities In Schools® (CIS), the national organization that empowers all students to stay in school and on a path to graduation, today issued the following statement in strong support of Rep. Susie Lee’s (NV-3) Communities Serving Schools Act of 2020.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has increased stressors for students and families across the country. As students return to learning, they will bring with them trauma, social and emotional needs,  and learning loss. Policymakers and education leaders must equip schools with a comprehensive set of services to address disruptions to learning and the collective and individual trauma that will have deep implications on learning.  

The social and economic effects of the pandemic and the national conversation over systemic racism  have increased the need for additional supports.  It has also given us the opportunity to re- examine and transform our education system to better serve all students. The Communities Serving Schools Act, in coordination with other funding sources, creates the innovation and capacity to make this transformation a reality.

A growing body of research shows that students succeed when schools embrace a whole child perspective that integrates social, emotional, and academic development and addresses out-of-school factors that interfere with learning. To implement an evidence-based wraparound services model that can provide all these services, schools typically need to partner with an outside organization. This legislation creates a grant program funding eligible schools, in partnership with a nonprofit or community-based organization, to provide wrap-around services addressing the whole child. With the increased likelihood of an achievement gap widening, now is the time for schools to implement a whole child strategy that lasts beyond the aftermath of the pandemic.”

BACKGROUND: 

Click here to read Rep. Lee's news release. 

Click here to read a fact sheet of the Communities Serving Schools Act.