A number of factors can negatively impact the arc of success for students, notably ones that might have little or nothing to do with the classroom itself, Dr. Evelyn Sauceda said Tuesday during the official launch of Nacogdoches ISD’s relationship with CarePortal, a group that serves to link vital student needs with churches and community partners.
Expanding upon the story of a student in need of reading glasses, Sauceda recounted many of the frustrations some students encounter before they complete one homework assignment or take one test.
“Can you imagine being in a classroom, and the teacher says to open your text book to Page 15 and you just can’t see it?” asked Sauceda, Nacogdoches ISD’s Executive Director of Bilingual Education. “A simple pair of glasses and getting them within a week instead of five months makes a huge difference to a student who needs them.”
Tending to those basic necessities is at the heart of CarePortal’s role, according to its website, linking up “vulnerable children and families with caring neighbors in their own community.” And now NISD students will have access to that kind of support.
In addition to Sauceda’s duties related to the district’s substantial bilingual program, she also oversees the district’s social worker team that will be responsible for connecting needs with CarePortal resources.
So far, seven churches and five community partners have joined up with CarePortal. When an NISD social worker enters a student's need into CarePortal, the affiliated partners will be notified via an app and provided with an opportunity to help out.
The anonymous requests can cover a wide range of needs. On Tuesday – in the first official entry from NISD submitted to CarePortal – a student at Nacogdoches High School required scrubs for a health science course but couldn’t afford to make the purchase. The request was filled before the launch celebration was complete.
“There’s a place for everyone,” said Rebekah Weigel, a national ambassador for CarePortal who lives in Nacogdoches. “There are so many incredible and generous people in Nacogdoches who have a heart for kids.”
The district first started discussing a relationship with CarePortal last December that would ultimately benefit student needs. The two organizations held an initial meeting in January and followed that up with a meeting with church representatives and community support groups.
There was interest from both sides.
“We’re always concerned about and focused on academics and that’s important,” said Burton. “But we also 100 percent want to help our students have the opportunities in their lives they didn’t think were possible.”
That’s a targeted goal for the district even when problems from outside of school overshadow what takes place in classrooms.
“There are lots of things in their lives that they have no control over,” Burton said. “And when that’s the case, that’s a huge thing. You get up in the morning and you haven't slept in a bed or eaten the night before, the last thing you want to do is go to math class.”
Church partners already signed up to help (and more are welcome) include Agape Life Church, First United Methodist Church, First Baptist Church, Timber Creek, Fredonia Hill Baptist Church, Mosaic Nac and University Church. Community organizations include Open Door, Seeds of Hope, Solid Foundation, Christian Women’s Job Corps and Ardmore Group.