SUPPORT SERVICES IN THE SCHOOLS

 WHEREAS, many students enter school already burdened by the effects of poor health care, family stress, unsafe and even violent conditions in their neighborhoods and other factors that help to produce low self-esteem, poor concentration, physiologically based learning disabilities, and other impediments to learning; and

WHEREAS, these problems clearly require schools to provide not only appropriate types and quantities of instructional remedies but also appropriate types and quantities of supportive services, such as guidance, social work, psychology, nurses and therapists; and

WHEREAS, prevention is repeatedly proved to be highly cost effective as compared with remediation; and

WHEREAS, legislation and educational programs and services for the handicapped are limited almost exclusively to remediation, or "special education," rather than prevention and retention with support in general education:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers recognize the need for significant increases in the availability of support services resources in the schools, in the form of guidance, social work, psychology, nurses, therapists and other services in general education.