Elizabeth Heubeck // C-HIT

On paper, the social worker’s role at public K-12 schools is straightforward: to support a caseload of students with special needs to thrive in an often-challenging academic setting. But ask a social worker employed in a public school these days and they’re likely to tell a much different story.

When University of Connecticut student Natalie Plebanek was 16 years old, she suffered heavy menstrual periods and subsequent fainting spells. But when she asked her pediatrician about a prescription for birth control pills, proven to reduce menstrual bleeding significantly, the doctor balked, citing a common myth.