CLARKESVILLE, Ga. — The Habersham County Board of Education will focus on student mental health, strategic plan progress and school facilities during its September work session Thursday, with a presentation from new Woodville Elementary Principal Kellie Cash also on the agenda.
The board will meet at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, at the Habersham County Schools administrative office. The work session agenda includes four items before an executive session for personnel and real estate matters.
The timing of the counseling and mental health presentation comes during September’s Suicide Prevention Month. District mental health specialists Daphne Penick, Miriam Duncan, Angie Kerr and Kelsey Ondriezek are scheduled to present an update as part of a broader strategic plan progress report.
The district has expanded its mental health services significantly in recent years. In 2025, school mental health specialists told the board the district had grown from having one or two community counseling partners to six providers offering individual counseling in schools. The district also added telehealth options and began developing additional crisis-intervention services.
In a February 2025 presentation, the district’s mental health team outlined five priorities for its school-based mental health system: establish, expand, evolve, educate and empower. Specialists said the program was designed to make mental health support accessible to students while addressing issues including depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, social media pressures and other challenges affecting students.
The district also launched a suicide prevention initiative at Habersham Central High School last year. Thirty-one students began training as peer leaders in an evidence-based program focused on hope, health and strength.
Thursday’s presentation is expected to provide an update on those efforts and their place within the district’s strategic plan.
Facilities report
Assistant Superintendent David Leenman, Chief Financial Officer Staci Newsome and Denise Gunn are scheduled to deliver the monthly facilities report.
The agenda does not provide additional details about the facilities report, but the board receives the update as part of its monthly work-session schedule.
New Woodville principal
The board also will hear from Cash, who became principal of Woodville Elementary for the 2026-27 school year after previously serving as assistant principal at Demorest Elementary.
Cash has worked in several roles within Habersham County Schools, including as a paraprofessional, teacher, academic coach and assistant principal. Superintendent Patrick Franklin said her experience and dedication to students made her a strong fit for the Woodville leadership position.
“I know that Ms. Cash’s attitude and dedication to our students are going to serve that community well,” Franklin said when Cash was appointed.
Cash said at the time that she was excited to begin working with Woodville students and families, while acknowledging that leaving Demorest Elementary would be bittersweet.
The board is scheduled to enter executive session following the public portion of the meeting to discuss personnel and real estate matters.
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