Today, Assemblymember Monica P. Wallace (D-Lancaster) announced that she has secured $65,000 in state funding for the Maryvale School District. The funds will be used by Maryvale to hire a social worker, restoring a position that had been cut by Maryvale nearly a decade ago.

“School social workers help address social, emotional and behavioral issues that may interfere with student learning,” said Assemblymember Monica Wallace. “Having a social worker in the school to address these challenges is essential to ensuring that all children have the tools they need to succeed. I appreciate the leadership of Superintendent D’Angelo in identifying the district’s need to restore this position, and I’m happy to have identified and secured state funding to bring it to fruition.”

"I am pleased that Assemblymember Wallace has once again delivered for the Maryvale School District,” said Maryvale Superintendent Joseph D’Angelo. “The funds she secured for our district have allowed us to hire a social worker to help meet the growing needs of our students and families. Our social worker will work directly with students and families on a day-to-day basis and will connect Maryvale stakeholders with suitable and appropriate resources throughout our community. Like most districts, Maryvale is still recovering from the effects of the recession-era cuts and the ability to bring back social workers fills a glaring hole present in Maryvale since our last social worker was cut nearly a decade ago. We appreciate both our partnership with Assemblymember Wallace and her strong advocacy for public education."

Throughout her time in the Assembly, Wallace has been focused on increasing mental health awareness and access to treatment. Earlier this year, Wallace helped pass a package of legislation which expands access to mental health services to New Yorkers by removing financial barriers to treatment.^[1] Wallace’s push to increase mental health awareness and treatment among adolescents, including today’s announcement of a new resource available to Maryvale students, has been spurred by a growing number of studies that indicate mental health deficiencies at younger ages.^[2]

“Social workers do incredible and difficult work every day to improve the lives of their patients, and having one working within Maryvale schools will be life changing to those who need it,” continued Wallace.

This funding is in addition to a 2.66% increase in funding that Wallace secured for Maryvale in the 2019-2020 state budget.
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[1] https://www.cheektowagabee.com/articles/mental-health-is-an-important-issue-needs-to-be-addressed/

[2] https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/abn-abn0000410.pdf