Busy year for Shelby County JFS
Pulfer
SIDNEY 2020 was a very busy year for the Shelby County Department of Job and Family Services, while working to serve the people of Shelby County, during the pandemic. In following the Governor’s orders, many protocols were implemented to keep the staff and those served as safe as possible, while still administering the programs.
“Our staff has been outstanding adapting to situations out of their control. Working a combination of in office and remotely, continuing to make home visits, attending court appearances, while assisting the residents of Shelby County” said Steve Pulfer, director.
Hamburg School Districtâs administration is working on its plan for how school will work next year, and Superintendent Tracy Streeter said that at this point administrators donât feel like a virtual option will be best for students.
âWe are working extremely hard in trying to decide what is our best approach as a district for school next year,â Streeter said at a recent meeting of the school board.Â
âThat is such a complicated piece; it involves lots of communication with staff, with parents, with the community and many others.Â
âOur administrative team has been researching and listening and Zooming and talking to people. It sounds relatively easy; we can have on-site (instruction) â which we will â and what are you going to do virtually. Are you going to do virtual or not? It sounds easy but it gets more complicated as you start peeling that onion.â
Bennett Horne
Special to the Paris Express
For some youth services agencies, January is an important month because of its billing as National Mentoring Month.
Janice Justice, the executive director of Comprehensive Juvenile Services, Inc., also likes it because it sheds more light on her organization’s new mentoring program: Operation Positive Direction.
Comprehensive Juvenile Services holds a contract with the Division of Youth Services, which is a division of the Department of Human Services. Alan Wright is their new mentoring coordinator and marketing manager.
The purpose of the program is to provide mentors for youth who face social, economic, and academic challenges as a way of leading them on paths to future success.