Thank you for stopping by to see resources provided by the Care and Support Team (CAST) for students and families. The purpose of the team is to address the emotional and behavioral needs of OSSB students and families.

Services

The OSSB Care and Support Team (CAST) serves to support students and families during distance learning. CAST provides the following services:

• Academic Support: manage schedules, materials, and routines, organize study times, practice ways to self-advocate, practice how to communicate with teachers.
• Social-Emotional Support: stress reduction and management, recognizing and managing emotions, behavior management, decision making, awareness of others, developing friendships and relationship, dealing with conflict, making good decisions.
• Parent to Parent Support: listen and gather feedback, provide information, connect families to resources, be a bridge between parents and school staff.

Student Safety and Confidentiality

As always, we will do our best to maintain confidentiality-- any phone calls or email will be done privately on our end of the communication. We encourage you to do the same. Mandated reporting rules still apply, and we may need to share safety information that you share with us.

• The Ohio State School for the Blind does NOT provide emergency/crisis services. If a student is expressing intent to harm themselves or others call 911. 
• If you have a student safety concern: 
  • First, tell a parent/guardian who is with you. 
  • Next, choose from the following possible supports:
    • Call 911 if the threat is urgent and immediate 

OR

• Call your local Police non-emergency number for a wellness check. 
  • The police can visit the home of the student to see if they are okay and follow up accordingly.
• If your concern happens during regular school hours and is NOT urgent and/or life-threatening. Choose from the following possible supports:
  • Contact someone from the support team listed below.
  • Crisis Text Line serves anyone, in any type of crisis, providing access to free, 24/7 support Click Here
  • Call 211 to gain community support
  • Samaritans Hotline (call or text) (877) 870-4673

Resources

We know this time could be difficult for families, particularly if they are worried about health and safety as well. Here are some additional guidelines for discussing COVID19:

• Talking to Kids About the Coronavirus from Child Mind Institute
• Taking care of your mental health in the face of uncertainty from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention 

• Talking to Children about COVID-19 from the National Association of School Psychologists  

• Parent Caregiver guide from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network
• Talking to Kids about Coronavirus from the American Society for Deaf Children

If you need anything, please reach out to the CAST for assistance. We miss you and are here to help, even from a distance! 

CAST Team at OSSB

The OSSB CAST Team works with OSSB students and families. There are instances where the OSSB CAST Team might need to work collaboratively with the CAST Team at the Ohio School for the Deaf (OSD) to provide the best support possible, or vice versa. Meet the OSD CAST team.