Social Worker

Contact information for the CHS Social Worker/MKV Liaison:

Leanna Bennett, MSW

Email: lbennett@cpher99.org

Phone: 618-724-9461 ext. 207

Hello! My name is Leanna Bennett, I became the Social Worker at Christopher High School in August of 2018. I'm a fellow Bearcat who graduated from Christopher High School. My journey continued on at Rend Lake College where I graduated and transferred to Southern Illinois University Carbondale where I then became a Saluki! I graduated with my Bachelor & Masters of Social Work and began working in a substance abuse program within a correctional setting afterwards. I grew to care more about learning the backgrounds of my clients which led me to become more interested in working with the adolescent population. #onceabearcat #alwaysabearcat

Below I have listed some community resources and helpful handouts. If you have any questions or need to contact me, please feel free to do so by phone or email.

Go Bearcats!

About Mckinney-Vento (MKV) Homeless Program:

The Mckinney-Vento Act was created to ensure assistance for children and youth experiencing homelessness. This act contains emergency relief measures, long-term solutions to homelessness, and preventative measures. The icon to the right links to our Regional Office of Education that includes eligibility, MKV rights and helpful links.

Erin's Law

Erin's Law or Illinois Public Act 097-1147, is named after childhood sexual assault survivor Erin Merryn. This law requires that all Illinois public schools to implement child sexual abuse prevention education for all students. By clicking the picture to the left you will be sent to erinslaw.org/parents which will provide information on recognizing signs of abuse and what parents should do if he/she suspects child abuse.

Students: If you would like to schedule an appointment or let Mrs. Bennett know how you're doing, please click the link below to fill out the Google form (right side). You must be logged in to your Google account to submit the form.

Schedule Appointment

Click here to submit the form

Mrs. Bennett's Calming Room

Please feel free to click around on my virtual calming room that will take you to different links and websites to help with not only managing emotions and self-regulation but also some funny videos to cheer you up!

Community Resources

These guides offers assistance in finding the resource(s) that may fit your needs. Resources include Clothing & Food Services, Emergency & Crisis Services, Mental Health/Substance Use Treatment, Transportation Services, & more. Just click on the pictures below to get started!

This website is an array of resources in southern Illinois that include community resources as well as healthcare provider resources.

SI Resource Guide lemons.pdf

618-937-6483 West Frankfort, IL

618-997-5336 Marion, IL

11246 Route 37 North

Marion, IL 62959

618-997-2129

618-958-2000 Carterville, IL

618-244-0344 Mt. Vernon, IL

4241 IL-14 Christopher, IL

618-724-2401

If you have been dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, transitional changes; a "brain dump" is a good start in clearing out our "filing cabinets" within our mind. This website will assist in guiding how to begin, the benefits, and prompts to begin your brain dump. Just click on the picture above!

**This tool is used for concerned parents regarding their child's behavior(s). This is not to "diagnose" but to help inform and understand possible diagnoses that can help to facilitate a conversation with a professional.

**The website above provides helpful information for parents and caregivers on how to help children cope with the stresses of the pandemic. This also helps assist with the ever changing information throughout the pandemic.