Lori McArthur, Emerson School Social Worker

This is my 13th year as a School Social Worker for Kearney Public Schools. My husband, John, is a Special Education teacher for Sumner-Eddyville-Miller Schools. We have 2 teenage daughters that attend school at KPS. I have a Masters degree in Social Work along with my LMHP. Although I have split my time between several buildings, I have been at Emerson all 13 years at least part-time. This is my 2nd year full-time to Emerson and I have enjoyed every day of it.

I get many questions about what the role of a social worker is in our school system. I often wear many different hats in the course of a school day. I am here to assist our families in order to promote the social-emotional learning of our students. If you are in need of assistance with the basic needs (such as food, shelter, and clothing) I can help direct you to the right resource. A lot of my time is spent on monitoring student attendance and often may make a visit to your home if we do not know why your child is absent. This is to just ensure everyone is safe and healthy. I also meet with students individually as well as facilitate friendship and social skills groups with students. I love to have Lunch Bunch groups with students of all grades for no other purpose but to get to know our students more. Mrs. Klingelhoefer and I are trained facilitators for Parenting with Love and Logic and conduct classes typically in the Fall of every school year. This really is just a quick summary of my work at Emerson! I am here to be a support to not only your child, but a support to your family.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me! You can call me at Emerson, 308-698-8270 or email [email protected].