Student Support Services

In addition to the Counseling Department, Pasco High School has a variety of support services to assist students and families. A variety of professionals assist with personal, social, and academic development. The services available are explained individually here.

SSAP and Graduation Enhancement:

Click here  to view Graduation Enhancement Web Page.

Dropout Intervention Specialist:

OVERVIEW: Dropout Intervention Counselors are available at all high schools to provide interventions and support services for off track students to prevent them from dropping out. They also retrieve high school dropouts.

PROGRAM GOALS:
 • To provide dropout intervention/retrieval counseling to all high school and adult education 
 dropouts;
 • To provide dropout tracking and follow-up information for all high school and adult education 
 dropouts;
 • To refer high school dropouts to adult education for the high school completion program when 
 appropriate; 
 • To follow-up on all high school students coded as adult education entrants to verify their 
 attendance in Adult Education.

PROCEDURES:

Referral process for enrolled high school students:
 • Administrators, guidance counselors, career specialist, social workers and/or Graduation 
 Enhancement Teachers will refer students to the Dropout Intervention Counselor.
 • Parent conference/contact (in-person, by phone, or by mail) must occur prior to the referral to 
 the Prevention Intervention Counselor. The parent section of the Dropout Intervention Referral 
 Form must be completed by school-based staff.
 • Student conference/contact (in-person, by phone, or by mail) must occur prior to the referral to 
 the Prevention Intervention Counselor.

Referral process for high school dropouts: 
 • The high school career specialist, in conjunction with dropout tracking personnel, completes 
 the Dropout Intervention Referral Form on every student coded as a dropout prior to referral to 
 the Dropout Intervention Counselor.
 • The Dropout Intervention Counselor submits the appropriate copy of the Dropout Intervention 
 Referral Form to the Assistant Principal for Adult Education and the Adult Education Counselor.

Referral process for Adult Education entrants:
 • The Dropout Intervention Counselor provides follow-up on all high school students coded as 
 Adult Education entrants to verify their attendance in Adult Education.
 • This verification/results are recorded on the Graduation Enhancement Intervention Referral 
 Form.

Dropout Intervention Counselors are assigned to work through the Adult Education Centers to develop and implement procedures to retrieve high school/adult education dropouts.

School Social Worker: Mrs. Melba Hoover & Mrs. Cassandra Gonzalez

Email: mhoover@pasco.k12.fl.us & ckgonzal@pasco.k12.fl.us

School social workers provide assistance to students, families, and appropriate school staff to understand and participate in the process of problem resolution. They may act as a liaison between school, family, and other community agencies in nurturing a child’s growth and development.

School Psychologist: Mrs. Christina Leon

Email: cleon@pasco.k12.fl.us

School psychologists in Pasco County work toward improving children’s overall quality of life. They work to develop a more tolerant, less violent society and to ensure that children are considered an asset and are important to their community.

Mission Statement

School psychologists in Pasco County seek to create and maintain an atmosphere which fosters the development of academic and social potential in all students. This mission is aligned with the district’s vision and philosophy.

Psychological Services

Pasco County school psychologists provide a broad scope of comprehensive services which go beyond the typical referral-based evaluation services so frequently associated with this profession. As members of collaborative interdisciplinary teams, the school psychologists work closely with social workers, nurses, and other professionals to provide services to their schools. This team approach provides comprehensive integrated services with little duplication of process. Services and recommendations are based on the most current knowledge and the latest research available. Services provided by school psychologists include:

  • assessment for intervention
  • counseling services
  • consultation to teachers, parents, administrators, and support staff
  • intervention design and monitoring
  • parent support
  • program development and evaluation
  • serving on crisis-intervention teams
  • consultation with community agencies
  • active involvement with community efforts to build healthy environments for children and families

 

School Nurse: Mrs. Margaret Polk

 

Email: mpolk@pasco.k12.fl.us

Phone: (352)-524-5521

School Resource Officer: Officer Peter J. Emerson 

Email: pemerson@pasco.k12.fl.us

A School Resource Officer (SRO) is a certified law enforcement officer who is permanently assigned to Pasco High School. He/she is trained to fulfill three roles: first and foremost, he/she is a law enforcement officer whose primary purpose is to help maintain a safe and orderly environment in the high school so that students can learn; secondly, he/she is a law-related counselor who provides guidance to students and acts as a link to support services both inside and outside the school environment; and thirdly, he/she is a law-related education teacher who provides the school with an additional resource.

Special Education Department Head: Mr. Lenard

Email: rlennard@pasco.k12.fl.us

Pasco County School District provides special education services for students with disabilities. When an educational disability is suspected, a comprehensive assessment is required, including a physical, a psychological evaluation, social history, an observation in the classroom, and educational evaluations and assessments in areas related to the suspected disability. If the student is determined to have an educational disability and needs special education services, recommendations regarding appropriate services are made in an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Service considerations include accommodations and support services in the general education classroom, related services, co-teaching and a case manager. By law, children must be served in the “least restrictive” educational setting.

Speech Pathologist: Ms. Fricke

Email: lfricke@pasco.k12.fl.us 

Speech and language services are provided to facilitate the acquisition and use of language by students whose language development is delayed or impaired. These services are available to students through recommendation by the Committee on Special Education (CSE), if it is determined that the language disability is having a significant impact on a student’s educational performance and ability to benefit from instruction.