P1: PreConference: Beyond Buzzwords: Exploring Identity in Social and Emotional Learning

3/24/2026 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Presenter: Chastity Owens, Ph.D., LCSW, PEL:SSW

This interactive workshop centers identity and intersectionality as essential components of transformative social and emotional learning (SEL). Participants will analyze how race, culture, gender, ability, and lived experiences shape emotional development, relationships, and learning for both students and adults. Through experiential activities, discussion, and evidence-based tools, attendees will gain strategies to design inclusive SEL practices that affirm diverse identities and foster belonging. The session highlights practical ways to create identity-safe environments that promote agency, accessibility, and positive social change in schools.

P3: PreConference: Data-Driven Impact: Practical Data Skills for School Social Workers

3/24/2026 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Presenter: Rob Lucio, Ph.D., LCSW & Katherine Montgomery, DSW, MSSW & Ziao Ding, Ph.D., MSSA, LMSW

This interactive workshop equips school social work practitioners with the hands-on skills needed to utilize data in daily practice. In addition to addressing data-related challenges, we will guide participants in transforming raw information into compelling narratives that show impact of services. Participants will learn how to analyze both quantitative and qualitative data, explore techniques for data visualization, and apply these skills to create a data plan for next steps. Bring your computers for these hands-on activities.

P4: PreConference: School Social Work in the Age of AI: Ethical Practice and Supporting Youth Mental Health

3/24/2026 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Presenter: Marina Badillo-Diaz, DSW, LCSW

In this interactive workshop, participants will examine how how AI is transforming assessment, intervention, and documentation practices while also examining its influence on youth mental health, social-emotional development, and identity formation. Through case studies, attendees will engage in critical reflection on the promises and pitfalls of AI in schools. The session will demonstrate relevant AI tools, provide opportunity for collaborative problem-solving, and include a focus on practical advocacy strategies for digital equity, data transparency, and trauma-informed implementation of AI technologies within schools. Participants will receive free resources and a guidebook to support the use of AI in school social work practice.

P6: PreConference: The Activist School Social Worker: Disrupting Systems, Healing Harm, and Building Schools Where Every Child Belongs

3/24/2026 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Presenter: Roger Ball, Ph.D., MA, LCSW & Christine Cavallucci, LCSW

Schools can be places of healing or harm. This workshop calls school social workers to move beyond traditional roles and embrace activism. It confronts how schools marginalize and re-traumatize vulnerable students - those who are undocumented, poor, LGBTQ+, disabled, newly arrived, unhoused - through biased discipline, harmful labeling, and systemic neglect. These students carry the weight of grief, racism, displacement, and exclusion, yet often receive judgment instead of support. Participants will examine how schools perpetuate trauma and how social workers can resist harm, center justice, and become agents of change, equity, and healing - advocating for environments where all students feel safe, seen, and supported.

A3: Celebrating Neurodiversity and Supporting Neurodivergent Students in Schools

3/25/2025 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Presenter: Caitlin Rossman, LCSW, MSW

This workshop will focus on celebrating neurodiversity. We will explore concepts, types of neurodivergence, and best supports. Participants will gain understanding about supporting neurodivergent students in school, and how to reframe what schools, families, and medical professionals often see as ‘problem behaviors’. This workshop will help participants be neurodiversity-affirming, push against ableism in their schools, and advocate for students

A2: Essentials of Documentation

3/25/2026 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Presenter: Marcy Pulalrd, LCSW, MSW

A5: Navigating the National School Social Worker Certification Journey

3/25/2026 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Presenter: Ken Rautiola, Ed.D.; Jennif Montes, LCSW, Jaimee Cox-Gibbs, LCSW; Lisa Dolan, LCSW; Kim G Esperon

Are you considering national certification or want to learn more about the process? Learn from National Certified School Social Workers as they share their experiences. You will practice writing a competency statement, identify artifacts to submit, and learn how to begin the certification journey - while gaining tips to stay motivated. Participants will walk away with a toolkit to help with the process.

A7: Connecting Art, Love & Mental Health: HIP Hop Therapy Techniques as a Tier1 & 2 Support

3/25/2026 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Presenter: Tierra Sydnor-Diggs, LCSW-C

Hip Hop Therapy is an innovative, culturally responsive approach that uses the elements of hip hop ‘music, lyrics, rhythm, and self-expression’ as tools for engagement, emotional regulation, and positive identity development. Participants will learn how school social workers can integrate Hip Hop Therapy via MTSS strategies - via school-wide prevention and wellness promotion and within smaller groups.

B1: Advocating for Homeless Youth

3/25/2026 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM

Presenter: Jacklyn Floyd, LCSW & Taylor Decker, DSW, LCSW

This session highlights the essential role that school social workers have in identifying, supporting, and advocating for students experiencing homelessness. Participants will explore the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and its related concepts, such as the federal definition of homelessness, educational rights of eligible students, immediate enrollment requirements, and strategies for promoting school stability and equitable access to education. Through interactive discussions and case scenarios, attendees will build practical skills, learn useful tools, and strengthen capacity to remove barriers to student success.

B3: Hidden in Plain Sight: Advocating for Girls with Autism

3/25/2026 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM

Presenter: Diamelys Vargas, MSW, RCSWI

Autism in girls is often overlooked due to camouflaging behaviors, gendered diagnostic expectations, and cultural bias, leading to delayed identification and unmet mental health needs. This session equips school social workers to recognize subtle signs of autism in girls, understand the impact of masking, and advocate effectively within schools so that girls with autism are no longer hidden in plain sight, and instead receive equitable support and services.

B5: Ethical Dilemmas in School Social Work: Balancing Advocacy and Institutional Expectations

3/25/2026 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM

Presenter: Jacqueline Jones, MST, LCSW-R

School social workers often face ethical dilemmas when institutional demands conflict with professional values. This interactive workshop explores dual-role conflicts - supporting students while participating in disciplinary systems that disproportionately impact marginalized youth. Via the NASW Code of Ethics and SSWAA's National Practice Model, participants will engage in case discussions, learn practical strategies for ethical decision-making, explore restorative practices as alternatives to punitive discipline and leave with tools to uphold ethical integrity.

B7: Animal-Assisted Activities and School Social Work Practice

3/25/2026 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM

Presenter: Lou Paschall, LAPSW, NCSSW & Randall Robinson, Ed,S,

As part of multidisciplinary teams, school social workers are uniquely positioned to bring animal-assisted activities (AAAs) into school districts and implement interventions with students and staff. AAAs can positively impact students’ social, physical, and academic wellbeing and improve school culture. There are a variety of ways to bring AAAs into a district and many aspects to consider before doing so. Attend this session to learn the reflections and goals for growth of one district that started a therapy dog program from scratch. Participants will have the opportunity to interact with the therapy dogs, who will join the presenters during this session.

Thursday Keynote: Solution-Focused Strategies for Schools: Practical Tools for Social Workers

3/26/2026 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM

Presenter: Cynthia Franklin, PhD, LCSW, LMFT

This keynote explores the research evidence supporting Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) in school settings and demonstrates practical strategies for engaging students through individual sessions, classroom activities, and group work. Participants will learn core techniques, creative tools, and actionable approaches that school social workers can immediately apply to support children and adolescents in building strengths, setting goals, and fostering change. 

C1: Reduce Addiction Stigmatization by understanding vulnerabilities which increase the risk of developing a substance use disorder

3/26/2026 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM

Presenter: Sara Lowry, MEd, MSW

All humans may unknowingly fall victim to stigmatization. This presentation encourages participants to assess their own and others’ stigma related to addiction and substance use disorder. Through improved recognition of vulnerabilities, we can gain understanding, therefore enabling us to have more compassion for one another.

C3: Bridging Hearts and Systems: Redefining Educational Leadership

3/26/2026 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM

Presenter: Annabell Louis, LSW & Ryan Devaney, LSW

This session follows the professional journey from school social workers to school administrators and leaders. Presenters will share how values and skills rooted in school social work can directly strengthen educational leadership practices. Participants will learn how social work perspectives at administrative levels can improve student outcomes, enhance staff wellbeing, and create systemic change. Drawing from experience and research, this presentation highlights why leaders with social work foundations are equipped to bridge the gap between individual student needs and district-wide initiatives.

C5: Parent Attendance Support Sessions, Truancy Intervention Panels, and Magistrate Court Referrals

3/26/2026 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM

Presenter: Ana Pereira-Murphy, Ed.S., LCSW & Paul Pursell, MPA, MSW

Addressing chronic absenteeism and truancy requires structured, supportive approaches that engage parents, schools, and, when necessary, the legal system. This proposal outlines a plan to enhance parent attendance support sessions, implement effective truancy intervention panels, and establish a clear process for magistrate court referrals to improve student attendance and outcomes.

C7: The Power of One

3/26/2026 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM

Presenter: Corey Ingram, LMSW, Ph.D. Candidate

This interactive workshop shares culturally responsive tools to strengthen bystander accountability in violence prevention. Modeled after the award-winning Stand Up Carolina Initiative, it explores barriers to intervention, including cultural mistrust and systemic inequities, while highlighting strategies to foster trust and cohesion. Participants will analyze high-risk situations, identify reasons bystanders hesitate, and practice the Four D’s of intervention: Direct, Distract, Delegate, and Delay. It empowers practitioners to transform hesitation into action and demonstrates how individual action is the start towards collective responsibility for safer, more just communities.

D1. From Intervention to Transformation: How SAFE Centers Are Reimagining Student Success in DeKalb County School District (DCSD)

3/26/2026 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Presenter: Naomi Hemphill, DSW, LCSW; LaShawn Jones, LCSW, MEd. & Chamika Simmons, MSW

What happens when schools become hubs of hope, healing, and opportunity? In DeKalb County School District (DCSD), the answer lies in the SAFE Centers, a district-wide initiative that places student needs at the heart of school improvement. This session takes participants inside SAFE Centers’ holistic approach, which includes targeted academic support, mental health services, monthly food distribution, and career readiness programming. With 30+ community partners and a growing network of student ambassadors, SAFE Centers are not only improving graduation rates, they're changing lives.

D3, Abolishing Oppressive Frameworks and Targeting Inequities in School Social Work

3/26/2026 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Presenter: Brandon Mitchell, Ph.D., MSW & Amina Cedeno, BSW

Though educational preparation of school social workers is oriented around ethics, ecology, equity, and justice, current practices may reinforce the punitive, deficit-based, culturally oppressive, and pathologizing trends that are intricately related to educational inequities. This sessions shares findings from interviews with school social workers across the U.S. that explored inequities, perspectives, and challenges related to funding, policy-practice, and role delineation. Our findings lay out practice barriers, healing, advocacy and prevention strategies, and recommendations to address inequities.

D5: Sustainable Human Trafficking Prevention Education in Public Schools.

3/26/2026 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Presenter: Chelsea Miller & Tenisha Brown, MPH

This session will detail how to successfully integrate research-based, human trafficking prevention education into existing school structures. The presentation will highlight prevention strategies to protect against human trafficking by identifying resources to reduce victimization and reviewing how trauma increases vulnerabilities. This interactive forum will provide participants the opportunity to identify characteristics of effective prevention education for implementation at all schools.

D7. Transformative School Social Work Leadership: Advancing Equity, Belonging, and Positive Social Change

3/26/2026 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Presenter: Nigel Powell, DSW(c), LCSWR, MSED & April Gurley, LCSW

This presentation is rich in the latest evidence and research practices, including hands-on activities that provide attendees with practical tools to apply in daily work. Guided reflections and action planning will help participants solidify their leadership identity and boost confidence for driving systemic change. This session is educational, inspirational, and empowering for educators and allies to become true catalysts for positive social change and inclusive educational communities.

Friday Keynote: Healing Systems from the Inside Out: Reimagining School Culture & Climate

3/27/2026 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM

Presenter: Kenneth Bourne, LSW

“We don’t need the next program. We need systems that feel safe enough to change.” Schools talk climate—students feel nervous systems. In this closing keynote, Kenneth L. Bourne Jr., LSW uses story, neuroscience, and the SENSE framework to show how policies, systems, and environments send threat or safety signals that shape behavior, belonging, and staff wellbeing. Participants will experience a guided, whole-room reflection that moves from reaction to root cause and walk away with a simple, memorable lens: Are we making SENSE? (Safety, Empowerment & Collaboration, Nurture & Cultural Belonging, Shared Trust & Transparency, Emotional Healing & Neurobiological Resilience). The result is a powerful send-off: practical, hope-filled, and ready for Monday morning. 

F1: Postvention: At the Intersection of Suicide Loss and Culture

3/27/2026 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Presenter: Sheri Koller, LCSW, LCSW-L, PPSC, NCSSW

This presentation addresses suicide bereavement within a cultural context, dissemination of information with intentional care for culture, culturally responsive suicide prevention strategies, and interdisciplinary coordination during postvention crisis. Attendees will learn about theories of death/dying other than those taught in graduate school, and about harm that comes from applying culturally irrelevant grief practices within K-12 postvention crises. Systemic oppression in the context of suicide loss in marginalized groups will be explored.

F3: Declutter the Mind: Anxiety in the Classroom

3/27/2026 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Presenter: Karen English, LSW

Educators need tools to support students to be socially and emotionally available to learn, especially as influences of the pandemic continue to negatively impact behavior and social-emotional development. Participants will review common types of anxiety, and compare similarities and differences of anxiety with other mental health disorders. In doing so, participants will learn and practice various stress management techniques such as breath work, meditation, mindfulness, expressive arts, and more.

F5: Building Capacity, Transforming Care: A Model for Social Work Internships in NYC Public Schools

3/27/2026 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Presenter: Roger Ball, Ph.D., MA, LCSW & Meg Fleming, MSEd., LCSW

This workshop spotlights New York City’s Public Schools (NYCPS) Social Work Internship Program as an innovative, equity-driven model to expand SEL and mental health services. The program strengthens support for students and families while cultivating the next generation of school social workers. In partnership with 31 universities, NYCPS provides MSW and BSW students with field-based training, a streamlined placement process, supervisor development, and a clear path to certification and employment. Grounded in whole-child, practice-based learning, this sustainable model can be adapted for implementation at the school, district, or central office level.

F7. Unite to Ignite: Strategic Inclusion Through Culturally Competent Leadership

3/27/2026 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Presenter: Ernest Garrett, Ph.D., LCSW, LICSW, M.Phil. & Makoto Ikegami, DSW, LCSW

This session, led by Deaf/hard of hearing practitioners, offers a research-informed blueprint for strategic inclusion and equity in school social work. We integrate research findings about professional access barriers with actionable, culturally competent leadership strategies to cultivate affirming and linguistically accessible work environments. Participants will gain concrete tools to advocate for systemic change, empower marginalized groups, and lead with a focus on justice and belonging to ultimately amplify impact of school social work services.