The Student Services Department includes the areas of special education and pupil services.  Our Student Services Department is dedicated to providing preventative education as well as working with students, families and community stakeholders to ensure that our students' current needs are being met. 

Student services covers a wide variety of topics some of which include: child find/screening, home-bound services, homeless, special education, anti-discrimination law and 504 plans, complaint reporting and investigation, school psychological and guidance services, school social work, bullying and AODA prevention, resources and data collection. 

Members of Marshfield Columbus Leadership Alliance (MCLA) at Marshfield High School are nearly finished with a special project that has been years in the making. MCLA members helped to design and paint a Positive Messaging Mural that most of the student body walks past each day as they enter the building. Contributors are pictured in a “gallery” photo, with chairs reserved for our absent artists.

Safety After High School: Sexual Assault
“Growing up in the Marshfield area, young people are not exposed to many of the personal safety threats that exist in other communities. As our Seniors look toward graduation and prepare for the next chapter in their lives, it is vitally important that they are equipped to recognize potentially dangerous situations and have the knowledge and skills to keep themselves, or a friend, safe.” – Renee Schulz-Stangl, Executive Director, Personal Development Center

This statement was the driving force behind the Safety After High School program. Statistics say that 1 out of every 5 women and 1 out of every 71 men will be sexually assaulted at some point in their lives. On Friday, April 1, seniors at Marshfield High School participated in the half-day program, Safety After High School.

Program Review
Male and female students were separated for the duration of the safety program due to the sensitivity of the issue and placed into small groups. The first section of the program was designed to give students information about sexual assault by discussing the following:
• Definition and statistics of sexual assault
• How to report a sexual assault and what happens when you do
• Sexual assault on campus, in the workplace, and in the military
• Role of alcohol and other substances in sexual assault
• Identifying risks of sexual assault
• Reviewing personal rights

This was followed by activities designed to provide students with tools and strategies to use in real-life situations. Scenarios were also used to discuss how to support someone in a dangerous situation as a bystander. Classroom discussions were facilitated by officers from the Marshfield Police Department and staff from the Personal Development Center and Marshfield School District. Some students were privy to the expertise of a Sex Offender Registration Specialist from the State of Wisconsin Department of Corrections who facilitated discussions in one of the classrooms.

Students then practiced self-defense in the fieldhouse with the assistance of instructors from Ki Nagare Dojo.

Student Reactions
According to feedback on student surveys, the self-defense portion of the program was a huge hit! Other content students found helpful was learning to be assertive, creating a safety plan, and discussing real life scenarios.

Remarkable Collaboration
This program could not have been accomplished without the remarkable collaboration between The Personal Development Center, Marshfield Police Department, Ki Nagare Dojo, and Marshfield School District. There are high hopes that a program like this will become a regular occurrence for our students.

Sponsor Shout Out: Ki Nagare Dojo, Marshfield Clinic, Marshfield High School Staff, Marshfield High School Student Council, Marshfield Police Department, Personal Development Center and Scotty’s Pizza and Chicken.