Bonnie Robles has served as a school social worker at pre-school through high school settings, originally in Illinois, and in Kansas since 1975. She has served as the Coordinator of Social Work Services for Topeka Public Schools since 1994. She oversees a staff of thirty special and regular education social workers.
Ms. Robles earned her undergraduate degree from Morningside College, Sioux City, IA. She earned a Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan.
Ms. Robles attended Family Therapy Training from the Menninger Foundation. She has also served on the Shawnee County Multi-Disciplinary Team, as an advisory board member of Kansas Children’s Service League, Topeka Association for Retarded Citizens, and Washburn University. She has remained active with the Kansas Association of Social Workers throughout her career. Ms. Robles plans to retire at the end of the current school year.
(From January, 2008 newsletter article by Sharon Stuewe)
(Testimonial by Cherie Blanchat follows:)
Bonnie Robles is the Director of Social Work Services for the Topeka Public Schools. My first experience with Ms. Robles was as a social work intern four years ago and this will be my second year to have worked under her as an employee. Ms. Robles’ high standards for the field of school social work have made the Topeka Public School’s social work department an example for other departments throughout the state of Kansas to model after. Her dedication to and high standards for the field have also made it possible for those who have passed through the department, either as interns or as employees, to be of the best in field of school social work.
Many graduate-level social welfare students are not aware that you must actually take a specific school’s course and complete a school-based practicum to become a school social worker. I was one of them. Ms. Robles not only believes in educating graduate students about the requirements for becoming a competent and competitive school social worker but also actually takes the time to do so. Each year Ms. Robles either sees to it that she, or a school social worker from her department, attend informational meetings at local Universities. For the past several years no other school social work representative from any other district in the state of Kansas has attended. Her time made it possible for me, and I am sure many others, to make an informed decision regarding a future career in school social work.
As an intern in Ms. Robles school social work department I not only found myself required to begin my practicum a couple of weeks before my peers, for training purposes, but also found that I had many more expectations I was to meet. As a student I was naturally frustrated by the requirements that were above and beyond what my classmates were being asked to meet in their placements. For example, as an intern with Topeka Public Schools I was to complete a minimum of five (social work assessments for) comprehensive evaluations (with regard to determining eligibility for special education) and my classmates placed with other districts were not required to do even one. I soon learned, however, that I was able to more competently complete class assignments in the school’s course and more importantly that I was prepared to be on my own in my first school social work position, which is exactly what happened. The first school social work position I received after graduate school was one in which I had no supervisor or other school social worker to consult with. I truly believe that no other practicum placement would have prepared me for such a position. Of course, I also learned that Ms. Robles’ commitment to the interns in her department went beyond their practicum year and that when I called upon her for consultation she continued to readily provide it.
The past couple of years I have had the pleasure of working under Ms. Robles as a school social worker employed by the Topeka Public schools. To ensure that new USD 501 school social workers have opportunity to be successful in their first year with the district she provides them with weekly supervision meetings. Last year there were four of us new to the district. In addition to the meetings we challenged her with numerous questions and scenarios through daily emails. Without fail she quickly, consistently and patiently worked with us through each challenge.
Ms. Robles is a strong advocate for KASSW. She encourages her school social work staff to be active participants in KASSW and works to ensure that they may use work-release time, if necessary, to do so. This is an incredibly valued quality because I am sure that many school social workers across the state to Kansas that would like to participate do not do so because their supervisors do not allow them the release time.
Thank you, Ms. Robles, for your commitment to and high expectations for the field of school social work. You have been key in providing school social workers opportunity and in helping our field gain credibility. Your having received this award not only honors you but also serves as a reminder that we are a specialized field.