School Counseling

  • Our school counselors work collaboratively with school leaders, staff, students, families, and our CSD community to provide comprehensive, data-driven programming, ongoing support and consultation. This includes assistance and intervention within the Multi-Tier System of Supports (MTSS). School counselors deliver preventive and responsive services through school-wide programs, classroom lessons, individual and small group meetings, and ongoing consultation and support with teachers and parents.

Phone: 404-371-3601

Email:

Degrees and Certifications:

M.Ed, Ed.S, Ed.D.

Dr. Kimberly Jones

CSD District Lead Counselor / Decatur Virtual Academy Counselor

Job at a glance: I am a Barrier Breaker & Roadblock Remover so that my team can carve out spaces for holistic wellness and success.

Favorite Quote: "Everything you want in life is a relationship away."  -Idowu Koyenikan

What it Means to Me: The only way that my team and I can effectively break barriers and remove roadblocks is to build relationships with students, families, faculty, and the community. So much in life is about building relationships and rapport with others. I endeavor to model relationship building, teach relationship building, and my heart is made happy when I see my students engaged in successful and healthy relationships.

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    The Role of the School Counselor - CSD School Counselors design and implement counseling programs that improve academic, social, and behavioral outcomes for students. School counseling programming for each school is data-driven, based on needs, and aligned with the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) model for school counseling. Below is an example of the tiered supports that may be offered by school counselors. 

    Tier 1 - Whole School Support

    Tier 2 - Group/Targeted Support

    Tier 3 - Individual Support

    School-wide programming and classroom lessons

    Crisis response

    Safety Plan Support

    Assessments and Universal screeners

    Small-group counseling

    Restorative conferences

    Grade level transition support

    Restorative practices

    Individualized interventions

    Prevention programming (i.e., child lures, suicide, bullying, substance use, truancy)

    Short-term counseling support

    		  

    Student appraisal and advisement

    Classroom consultative support

    		  

    Career knowledge development and exposure

    Solution-focused individual counseling

    		  

    For more information on the role of the school counselor, please click here.

    • RAMP Schools - The Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) designation, awarded for aligning with the criteria in the ASCA National Model, recognizes schools committed to delivering a comprehensive, data-informed school counseling program and an exemplary educational environment.   There are 1300 schools nationwide who hold a  RAMP designation, 5 CSD schools currently have the honor of being a RAMP school. Congratulations to Glennwood, Oakhurst, Westchester,Talley Street, and Beacon Hill Middle School.

    Counselor Contact Information by School

    list of counselors by school

     

  • For Students or Parents requesting a Gender or Name Change Marker

     
    If there has been a legal name change, CSD can change a student's name anywhere in the system and the change will be reflected for state reporting purposes. If there has been no legal change, CSD can only change a student's name/gender marker in Infinite Campus and Google Workspace applications. Families will have access to any local updates. Only legal names will be included on transcripts and other official documents requested by outside sources.

    Students also have an option to add a nickname to their profile that will alert teachers to be aware of a student’s preferred name. Note, if this option is selected, the nickname will not appear on any formal school documents.
     
    When this form is completed, the student's counselor will receive a referral to determine whether additional support is needed from school staff. If there are any questions or concerns regarding this form, please contact CSD's Lead Counselor, Dr. Kimberly Jones (kjones@csdecatur.net).
     
    *The district reserves the right to deny name change requests that are objectively offensive.

    Gender/Name Change Marker Request Form