Russ Uhing — School Social Work Association of Nebraska Friend of School Social Work

The School Social Work Association of Nebraska has honored Lincoln Public Schools Director of Student Services Russ Uhing with its Friend of School Social Work award.

Here’s what LPS school social workers Whitney Brown and Carrie Erks said in their nomination letter for both Uhing and LPS Supervisor of Counseling and School Social Work Brenda Leggiadro, who also won the award:

“Under their leadership, the number of school social workers in our district has doubled. They have advanced many of our ideas through their advocacy, planning, collaboration with district administrators and community stakeholders as well as their search to secure funding for these ideas. These efforts include the district’s adoption of a social emotional learning curriculum, increasing the district’s expertise in the area of substance use screening, referral and coordination of treatment via the adding of a school social worker specifically for this purpose, and adding a school social worker to the district’s threat assessment team. Under their leadership, social workers have been charged with increasing services provided to students who have experienced trauma through the facilitation of trauma therapy groups and trauma walkthroughs in each building within the district.”