For many school counselors along with some staff and administrators, exchange students can feel like an added burden to their already busy school day. Exchange students want multiple schedule changes, experience social issues, and sometimes even have host family issues and they turn to their counselors and school staff to deal with them during the school day because those individuals are close and accessible.
AFS-USA’s Support Team shared a presentation at the 2019 AFS Volunteer Summit that highlighted how AFS-USA’s support team, protocols, and structure can help a volunteer overcome support-related objections from school personnel. You also can view a live webinar recording of the presentation. Great tips and ideas were shared by volunteers around the country and their responses have been captured within the presentation.
Finally, as liaisons are expected to have contact with the school to determine how students are doing academically, socially, and emotionally, it’s important that volunteers know what to do when faced with a school staff member who refuses to share information about a student under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Please reference the FAQ document here about how to handle those difficult school contact situations.