DISTRICT OFFERS FREE TELETHERAPY TO BENEFIT MENTAL HEALTH
The Livingston Parish School System is offering its high school students struggling with anxiety, depression, or any mental illness 12 weeks of free teletherapy through a program called Daybreak.
Federal Program Coordinator Charlene Lilly said Livingston Schools is the first school district in the state to offer free mental health support for students.
“There’s been some hurdles here for our kids that we’ve noticed and having some of our large high schools where we have 2,000 and four counselors, they’re inundated with mental health needs. So, this was kind of the solution to the perfect storm,” Lilly said.
Students can enroll by scanning a QR code or reaching out to their school counselors. Parental consent is required for Daybreak to connect students with a licensed counselor.
LOCAL SUPPORT WORKER NAMED STATE FINALIST
North Corbin Junior High School (NCJH) Secretary Ashley Guzzardo is one of 10 school support workers who has been named a finalist for the state’s 2024 Outstanding School Support Employee Award.
The 10 finalists represent schools across the state in a wide range of professions. Employees eligible for the annual honor serve students and families in roles such as teacher’s aide, bus driver, food service worker, clerical/secretarial worker, and custodian.
Guzzardo has worked as the NCJH school secretary for the past 12 years, where her duties include recording and monitoring student attendance, assisting with the needs and requests of students, parents, and campus visitors, assisting with student registrations, managing general office tasks, and serving as the Mighty Moms community food bank ambassador for her school.
SPRINGFIELD HIGH SCHOOL CELEBRATES NEW ADDITION
Livingston Parish school leaders recently celebrated the completion of a new cafeteria and classroom addition at Springfield High School.
The new two-story facility features a cafeteria that holds more than 200 people and four classrooms equipped with the latest technology and well-lit, modern accommodations. Part of the building space is also dedicated to the school’s on-campus merchandise shop, the Dawg House. The store is managed by the school’s entrepreneurship students who manage all aspects of the retail store, including purchasing, marketing, and retail.
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION & PRE-K APPLICATION ASSISTANCE DAY SET FOR MARCH 15
Livingston Parish Public Schools will hold a district-wide Kindergarten Registration and Pre-K Application Assistance Day on March 15 for parents wishing to enroll their children in kindergarten or pre-kindergarten classes for the 2023-2024 school year.
Currently enrolled kindergarten and Pre-K students will NOT attend school that day.
Parents should access electronic registration forms in advance of March 15. Parents of kindergarten-aged students should visit lpsb.org to complete the PowerSchool online registration form and upload required documents. The portal opens March 1.
Parents of pre-K-aged children should visit applytolppsearlychildhood.com to access the application form and upload required documents.
The documents required for both age groups include a certified birth certificate, Social Security card, immunization records, parent/guardian ID, and proof of residency (utility bills). Pre-K applicants must also provide proof of income for every adult in the household.
A child must have turned 5 years old on or before Sept. 30, 2024, to be eligible to register for kindergarten. A child must have turned 4 years old on or before Sept. 30, 2024, to be eligible for Pre-K. Final eligibility for Pre-K enrollment is based on the child’s age and gross household income.
Jeff Cox, District 6
- Elected in Oct 2002 and took office January 2003; has served more than 21 years
- Served as School Board Vice President, 2022-2023
- Graduate of Walker High School (Class of ’78)
- Owner of John’s Grocery & Hardware, which has been a family-owned business since 1972
- Certified in HVAC
- Married to Bonnie Hano Cox for 39 years
- Father to five children and four grandchildren. His children are Savannah Cox Lewis (Troy), who teaches at Live Oak High School; Derek Cox; Zachary Cox, who teaches at Walker High School; Brice Cox and Jace Cox, who is a freshman at Holden High School.
- The Cox Family attends First Pentecostal Church of Denham Springs
“Our job should always be about our children. If every vote we make is for the betterment for our students and our parish as a whole, then we will never go wrong. We can never lose sight of that.”