Letter: Continue to fund student counseling in Burbank

I am a grandparent of a student at Walt Disney Elementary School and I am concerned about the issue of school-based counseling.

We know that early intervention is the key to help in all areas for youngsters, and we have been so blessed this past 10 years to have the assistance of Burbank Family Service Agency to send counselors to our school and in fact to all schools in Burbank Unified School District to provide a boost for those students who are experiencing difficult situations. Some are dealing with divorced parents, others with the death of a parent or someone close to them, abuse, drugs, alcoholism and more. The issue of bullying not only affects the child being bullied, but the child doing the bullying too. We can continue to help these children if the City Council will vote to continue the $250,000 funding to Family Service agency.

They were forward thinking 10 years ago in asking the FSA to begin this project, and it is their community responsibility to continue to safeguard our children by helping with their mental health issues.

I urge you to contact the City Council and city manager to seek a “yes” vote on the funding of $250,000 for school-based counseling and to remember that such a vote now is an investment in the adults and leaders of our future. You can send emails to them at citycouncil@burbankca.gov and attend the City Council meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 18 at City Hall.

It is a small price to pay for our future!

Janet Diel
Burbank

Editor’s Note: The writer is president of the Burbank Coordinating Council and a member of the Disney Elementary PTA.