The County Alternative High School
October 2020
Welcome back TCA community!
We were able to successfully open our school on September 21st with all students and staff wearing masks and practicing social distancing.

Thank you to all of our parents for sending students to school wearing masks, and keeping students home who are not feeling well. During the first two weeks of school there are no reported positive cases of COVID in our TCA school community. 

We will continue to keep our doors open for in person instruction and continue to promote mask wearing and proper social distancing. Thank you all for your help in this effort.

Matthew White
Supervisor
The County Alternative High School
710 S. Old Middletown Rd.
Media, PA 19063
Office - 610-874-4603
Kelsey's Korner
As we begin the school year, the Crozer counselors are providing a behavioral health screen, which focuses on identifying possible concerns across a broad range of behavioral health domains including, depression, anxiety, trauma, and substance abuse. These screening measures could help us to identify any potential signs of suicide for your child, and if needed, for us to intervene and provide you and your child with the necessary treatment resources to address suicidal ideation.
Kelsey Hart, MSW, LCSW
Service Coordinator- The County Alternative High School
Crozer Health
610-619-9870 ext. 232
610-619-9879 fax
FACE COVERINGS
On August 17, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) outlined under what circumstances students are permitted to remove their face coverings (e.g. masks and face shields)?

Schools may allow students to remove face coverings when students are:
• Eating or drinking when spaced at least 6 feet apart; or
• When wearing a face covering creates an unsafe condition in which to operate equipment or execute a task; or
• At least 6 feet apart during “face-covering breaks” to last no longer than 10 minutes.

PDE identifies that students should be wearing their face covering even when 6 feet apart in a classroom. However, when a student is 6 feet apart, he/she can take a “face covering break”. This is a change from previous guidance. DCIU and DCTS programs should incorporate the strategy of “face-covering breaks” within classrooms or other settings.
Prevent Suicide PA and the Pennsylvania Garrett Lee Smith Youth Suicide Prevention Grant are pleased to announce the relaunch of the Suicide Prevention Online Learning Center!
This site is designed to provide research-based and best practice information to anyone who may come into contact with individuals struggling with suicidal thoughts and behaviors, including educators, mental health professionals, medical professionals, and the general community. New courses will be added to the site in an ongoing manner, including courses that address suicide prevention across the lifespan.
 
The Online Learning Center can be accessed by visiting https://pspalearning.com/.
 
Select featured courses include the following:
  • Suicide Prevention for Educators (an 8-class course that can fulfill Act 71 requirements for schools)
  • Assessment and Clinical Management of Suicidal Youth
  • Method Restriction: Primary Care and Public Health Approaches
 
When visiting the site for the first time, users must click the “login” tab to register, creating a username and password. Then, click the “All Courses” tab to view all site content. Any trainings that users complete will be documented on a transcript that may be downloaded, and some courses will offer printable certificates.
 
We hope you find this online training resource useful in supporting your personal and professional suicide prevention efforts!
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Grace Kindt | Drug & Alcohol Program Supervisor, Division of Prevention & Intervention
Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs