North High school is located at 140 Harington Way, Worcester Ma 01604, USA, in its many years in business has done a great job at taking care of students’ needs.

Special needs 

Mrs.Vaghn a believer in you should love what you do is a teacher at North High school and has been teaching for 20+ years. Mrs.Vaghn has taught 17 subjects, the current subjects she is teaching are phycology, criminal justice, and sociology. ‘’ I wouldn’t say disabilities, I would say abilities, kids are different, different needs. We had kids here who are blind, we had kids here who were in wheelchairs, so students have different needs and abilities and we should give them the extra love and support in their academic journey.’’

Mr. Winston is a previous North High counselor and is now a Car and Acab Plan teacher. Mr. Winston states that the school does a great job of addressing student needs. “We have IEP and 504 meetings to make sure to meet all the student’s needs’’ ” We also have teachers that teach and help those kids who need extra guidance on the first floor’’ 

North High has both programs IEP(individualized educational plan) and 504. According to the article “what is an IEP?’’ by Gail Belsky, “IEPs are covered by special education law or the individuals with disabilities education Act (IDEA). They were created for eligible kids who attend public schools, which includes charter schools. The process begins with an evaluation that shows students’ strengths and challenges. Families and schools use the results to create a program of service and support tailored to meet students’ needs. Having an IEP gives students, families, and schools legal protections, too. It lets families be involved in decisions that impact their child’s education. It also gives students rights when it comes to school discipline’’.

Children’s Law Center of Massachusetts  “Section 504 is a section of a federal civil rights law, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, that prohibits discrimination by federally-funded institutions, such as public schools, against individuals with disabilities. Section 504 ensures that a student with a disability has equal access to education by requiring that schools provide accommodations for the student. Students who qualify for a 504 plan must be allowed to receive any help, benefit, and services and participate in activities that are available for students without disabilities. This includes school-sponsored non-academic and extracurricular services and activities.’’  This also helps with “The 504 plan process started with parents’ written request or the school’s referral for an evaluation when the student is having academic, social, or behavioral problems that limit one or more major life activities. Major life activities include walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, and learning. In addition, the district must believe that the student needs additional support in the regular education classroom to access the curriculum. Section 504 requires consent from the parents before conducting evaluations.’’

Emotions and behavior

Some teenagers here at North High have to work or even take care of their younger siblings and their household giving them more stress and anxiety when coming to school. When dealing with students with emotional and behavioral problems North High does a great job at de-escalating the situation and keeping it safe for the students and staff.  Celena Rodrigez was a hospital nurse for 10 years. Mrs.Rodrigez has experience in emergency experience, Cardiac experience, and a background in psychiatric nursing. ‘’ as I said I have a background in psychiatric nursing. Separate students in my office, to see what is going on. I see the student as a whole as a sense of this is a part of you, your whole life is really what’s going on. A lot of kids are good at masking their emotions, especially living in an inner city.’’

In the most percentage, North High school is a safe learning environment for the students who attend, but just like other schools, we had had fights unfold. Mrs.Rodrigez said ‘’There are fights every day. I have talked to the AP about it and some of the issues are from home they bring to school or minor issues to look for attention’’. Jaysey is a 14-year-old freshman here at north high. Jaysey came from Oriendell Florida 6 years ago and has volunteered 5 years for a non-profit company.  Jaysey said ‘’ we are all teenagers so we are all stressed’’ ‘’yeah nothing happens in our classes most of the fights happen at lunch or after school’’

What could be fixed

North high is a great high school and supports its student’s needs. Most students and staff are worried about north’s school culture. students aren’t participating much in school sporting events or even school clubs or prep rallies. Mr.Winston ‘’school culture should be fixed. Who wants to be here and who doesn’t, making it inviting to kids. Back in the day, we used to have free study periods where kids could relax, socialize and work together on school work, making them more engaged’’.  Mrs.Vaughn ‘’ it would be neat to see students more involved in things after school, you know like more students attending sporting events or football games. Like I don’t feel like a community after school’’. 

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs 

One reason school nurse Ms. Rodriguez feels is impacting our students has to do with their location on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. This describes how our basic needs need to be met to progress towards healthy learning attitudes and comfort. 

At North, students may experience psychological unsafety due to their environment. A recent incident happened in Plumbley Village where many families on Laurel street were displaced from their homes on Thanksgiving day due to a fire in the electrical room. The families were relocated until the high rise is deemed safe. North High has many students who live in Plumley village and this unexpected incident caused a difference in their routines and throw them off balance.