Student Services

Student Services staff provide a wide range of special services for students, staff and parents. The School District of Janesville offers many special educational services for children from early childhood (age 3 years) to age 21 years.

The Special Education and Student Services Department work together to provide services to all students within the District through a broad range of health and safety services, as well as education regarding nutrition, physical activity, school safety, mental health resources, special education resources, and parent/family/community involvement.
Program Support Teachers, Occupational and Physical Therapists are part of the team supporting the learning for cognitively, emotionally, physically or behaviorally disabled or challenged students. They also offer services to meet the speech and language needs of Early Childhood and all students to assist in designing the most appropriate education for our students.
Counselors, Social Workers and School Psychologists are a part of the Student Services team focusing on academic, interpersonal, social and career development.

See our staff list below for contact information, we welcome your call.

Homeless Resources

Families in Transition Information

Facts about the McKinney - Vento Education Act:

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction's (DPI) Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) program required by the United States Department of Education (USDE), as authorized by the Every Student Succeeds Act, Title IX, Part A – Homeless Children and Youths, Sec.722 (f)(5) protects homeless students from discrimination and mandates equal access to educational programs and services. Students who are identified as homeless must have barriers to their education removed.

For more information please contact:

Carrie Kulinski	Families in Transition Coordinator	(608) 743-5122
Kim Peerenboom	Director of Pupil Services	(608) 743-5061
Kristine Nadolski	Wisconsin Department of Instruction	(608) 267-7338

Community Resources:

House of Mercy homeless shelter:	(608) 754-0045
American Red Cross for residential fires:	(608) 754-4497
ECHO food pantry and emergency shelter vouchers:	(608) 754-5333
Salvation Army emergency shelter vouchers and transitional living programs:	(608) 757-8300
YWCA domestic violence shelter and transitional living programs:	(608) 752-5445
HealthNet free clinic:	(608) 756-4638

Simply dial 211 from your cell phone or landline anywhere in Wisconsin. If you cannot reach us through 211, call 877-947-2211 211 specialists can connect you with a wide range of resources and services. Contact us today to get expert, caring help with food, health care, housing and utilities payment assistance, employment services, veteran services, childcare, crisis and emergency counseling, disaster assistance, and more. 211 operators offer help in more than 180 languages.

How Can You Help?

The following is a list of ongoing needs of our youth experiencing housing instability. , please consider donating. You can drop your donations at the Education Services Center for Carrie Kulinski.

List of Needs

Socks (all sizes)

Underwear (all sizes)

Warm/waterproof gloves

Winter Boots

Snow pants

Gift cards (food or groceries)

Gas cards (fuel only cards)

Bus tokens: gold and purple youth token

School supplies

Backpacks

Toiletries

Helpful Links

To learn more about the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act, try the following websites:

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction: http://dpi.wi.gov/homeless/

National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY): http://www.naehcy.org/

National Center for Homeless Education at SERVE: http://www.serve.org/nche/

Did You Know?

Did you know?

If you are not living with a parent or guardian, you may have rights under McKinney-Vento!
If you are a runaway, you may have rights under McKinney-Vento!
If you are 18, 19, 20 or 21 years old, living on your own, and do not have a high school diploma, you may have rights under McKinney-Vento!
If you are a teen parent and you are not living with your own parents, you may have rights under McKinney-Vento!
If you are couch surfing, you may have rights under McKinney-Vento!
If your parents kicked you out, you may have rights under McKinney-Vento!
If you are living in any situation that is not fixed, regular or adequate, you may have rights under McKinney-Vento!

Making today better and tomorrow more promising: serving homeless students

This year (2020-2021), more than 100 Janesville School District teens have no place to call home.
Instead, they find the best shelter available. Some couch surf at friends’ homes. Others live in homeless shelters, motels or find temporary housing with relatives. And still others sleep in their cars.
Those teens are only part of the homeless population in Janesville schools. The district serves between
400 and 500 homeless students and families every year, said Carrie Kulinski, homeless liaison for the
district. District staff work year round to make school a place where homeless students can feel safe, get their practical and emotional needs met, and plan for a better future.
Help comes in a variety of ways. First, homeless students can take advantage of the services that are
available to all low-income students: free breakfast and lunch, access to the each school’s “Closet” of
clothing and school supplies, waived fees for sports and other services.
In addition, grants and donations help pay for staff and all the extras students need to fully participate in
school life. Service groups such as the Golden K and the community’s two Rotary clubs support the
district’s efforts, as do donations from community members.
The homeless donation account bought track shoes for a homeless student who wanted to be on the
team; it paid the show choir fee for another student, it pays for bus tickets, parking passes, gas cards
and a variety of other unexpected school expenses.
Teachers and staff also help students look towards the future. Graduation coach Luke McCalmont works with a variety of students, including some who are homeless.
“My job is more like being a life coach,” McCalmont said. “Some of them say that I’m more like a parent
to them than their regular parent.”
With all his students, McCalmont focuses on planning for their post high school lives. That takes the
form of exploring their dreams, sorting through class choices and helping with college paperwork and
financial aid forms.
“I’m getting them set up for adulthood,” he said.
He also offers help with the day-to-day issues such as signing up at food pantries or finding them an air
mattress to sleep on. But it’s the emotional piece that probably matters most, the relationship between McCalmont and his students.
“A lot of it is just talking to kids,” McCalmont said. “It’s helping them see that there’s a light at the end of
the tunnel.”

Facts: McKinney - Vento Homeless Education Act

Part of the No Child Left Behind federal legislation, this law protects homeless students from discrimination and mandates equal access to educational programs and services. Students who are identified as homeless must have barriers to their education removed.

To learn more about the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act, try the following websites:

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction: http://dpi.wi.gov/homeless/
National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY): http://www.naehcy.org/
National Center for Homeless Education at SERVE: http://www.serve.org/nche/
National Law Center on Homeless and Poverty: http://www.nlchp.org/
Housing and Urban Development: http://www.hud.gov/homeless/index.cfm

District Resources

How Can You Help?

List of Needs:

The following is a list of ongoing needs for our homeless youth, please consider donating. You can drop your donations at the Education Services Center for Carrie Kulinski.

Socks (all sizes)
Underwear (all sizes)
Warm/waterproof gloves
Winter Boots
Snow pants
Gift cards (food or groceries)
Gas cards (fuel only cards)
Bus tokens
School supplies
Back packs
Blankets
Toiletries

Rights and Indentification

Who is protected under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act?

Students whose overnight accommodations are not fixed, regular or adequate are protected by the McKinney-Vento Act. The following living situations may be considered homeless:

Sharing housing with relatives or others due to a lack of housing
In a shelter or transitional living program
In a motel, hotel, park or campground due to lack of adequate housing
In a car or RV or in a public place (such as a bus station)
In sub-standard housing, such as an abandoned building
Without a parent or guardian, or a teen (up to age 21) living independently
Parents are migrant workers
In other situations that are not fixed, regular, or adequate for nighttime residence

Each school district’s homeless liaison is responsible for determining if a student qualifies as homeless.

If you or someone you know may qualify for protection under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act, please contact your school social worker or call Carrie Kulinski, Homeless Education Program Coordinator at (608) 751-7779.

Homeless status is kept confidential.

What are the rights of students identified under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act?

Students who are identified as homeless by the school district’s homeless liaison have the following rights from the point of identification.

Immediate school enrollment: Even without proof of residency, guardianship, immunizations, or school records.
School choice: Students may choose to stay at the school attended when permanently housed or to enroll in the school where currently living for the remainder of the academic year.
Free lunches: Homeless students are automatically eligible to receive free lunch for the duration of the school year.
School fee waivers: Students have the right to equal access to education.
School supplies: Students have the right to have barriers to education removed. Required school supplies should be provided.
Transportation: While students are actively homeless, transportation is provided for students residing outside of their school’s attendance area.

Community Resources

Contact the following for Janesville Community Resources:

House of Mercy homeless shelter: (608) 754-0045
American Red Cross for residential fires: (608) 754-4497
ECHO food pantry and emergency shelter vouchers: (608) 754-5333
Salvation Army emergency shelter vouchers and transitional living programs: (608) 757-8300
YWCA domestic violence shelter and transitional living programs: (608) 752-2583
HealthNet free clinic: (608) 756-4638
Janesville Community Health Center at Mercy Clinic- South sliding scale medical care: (608) 758-7814
Rock County Job Center to apply for food share, Medicaid, employment opportunities: (608) 741-3400
For referral to other services: (608) 752-3100

This 20 minute video takes you on a virtual tour of Project 16:49, ECHO, House of Mercy and the YWCA. The agencies describe how to access their services and what services they offer. If you know of a student or family experiencing homelessness please contact your school Social worker.

Homeless Resources Video

Student Health & Wellness

Bullying and Crime Prevention

Student Immunizations

All students admitted to the School District of Janesville must present immunization records as required by law. Except as otherwise provided, immunizations are required for measles, rubella, diptheria, pertussis, polio, tetanus, mumps, Hepatitis B, and Varicella.

The School District of Janesville shall notify, with a legal notice, and according to the deadlines established by law, the parent/guardian of any minor student who has not submitted either written evidence of immunization or a waiver form.

Notification shall include a list of missing immunizations, the availability of waivers for reasons of health, religion, or personal conviction, and explanation of the penalty for noncompliance and information on how and where to obtain necessary immunizations.

To determine which vaccines for your child(ren) are on file with Wisconsin you can use the Wisconsin Immunization Registry.

Required Immunizations:

Letter From the County Health Department

Grade Level Requirments Requisitos de inmunización a nivel de grado

Required Forms:

Student Immunization Record Registro de Inmunización de Estudiantes Student Waiver of Immunizations (English and Spanish)

Administering Medications

Medications should be administered to school children by parents at home whenever possible. In the event that a student needs medication during school hours, we have processes and procedures that need adhered to for safe administration. This information can be found at:

Administering Medications to Students

For medications that need to be administered by school staff during school hours, the following form will be needed:

Medication Consent Form - English

Medication Consent Form - Spanish

Substance Abuse Resources

Our diverse committee calls on the whole community for support to get involved and take the next steps! If you are interested in more information, know of a student in need of ATODA assistance or want to join the ATODA Committee, please contact Sonja Robinson, Coordinator of Students Services at (608) 743-5079.

Prime for Life

What is Prime for Life?

Prime for Life is an alcohol and drug program for people of all ages. It is designed to gently but powerfully challenge common beliefs and attitudes that directly contribute to high-risk alcohol and drug use. The program goals are to reduce the risk for health problems and impairment problems.

A primary goal of Prime for Life is prevention of any type of alcohol or drug problem. This includes prevention of health problems such as alcoholism, or impairment problems such as car crashes or fights. Emphasis is on knowing and understanding risks one can and cannot change.

Using a persuasion-based approach, instructors use a variety of delivery methods, including interactive presentations and small group discussion. Participants use workbooks throughout the course to complete a number of individual and group activities. Material is presented in a DVD platform with animation, full motion clips, and audio clips to enhance the learning experience.

Several themes run throughout Prime for Life. The first is an emphasis on the reality that while all of us can influence another person drinking choices to some degree, none of us can directly control those choices.

Second, Prime for Life is based on objective, documented research findings, not opinion, exaggerations or scare tactics. Third, Prime for Life focuses on information that is needed to bring about behavior change. Participants are not expected to remember the details of the research cited. The content is only one tool used in the persuasion process.

What participants will remember is the critical conclusions that come from hearing the information. Who can experience alcohol and drug problems? How do I estimate biological risk? How do I know what low risk is and how have my alcohol and drug choices progressed? The carefully selected, research based information also provides the credibility needed to promote change.

Prime for Life Under 21 Procedures

If your child has been referred to take the Prime for Life class, this is what you do.

The student must register to take the Prime for Life class in the Student Services Department of the School district of Janesville. 527 S. Franklin St. Janesville, WI. You will need to complete a registration form and pay the class fee. Class fees are $10 for a student taking Prime for Life due to an expulsion and $60 for students who are taking the class for an underage drinking ticket or for an athletic code violation. You can download a registration form on this website and bring the form with you when you register. Checks should be made out to the School District of Janesville.
Once you have registered for the Prime for Life class, the class instructor or student services administrative assistant will contact you regarding the time, date, and location of the class.
Complete the 16 hour Prime for Life class.
After you have completed the class, the instructor will either give you a compliance report the last night of class to take to court with you or mail out completion letters to district officials.

Prime for Life Registration Form:

Registration Form

Local School Wellness Policy

Phone Numbers:
School: 608-743-5072