PRINTER'S NO. 1703
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No. 33
Session of
2024
INTRODUCED BY L. WILLIAMS, HUGHES, HAYWOOD, DILLON, FONTANA,
BREWSTER, COSTA, CAPPELLETTI, SCHWANK, MILLER AND STREET,
JUNE 7, 2024
REFERRED TO EDUCATION, JUNE 7, 2024
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
2 act relating to the public school system, including certain
3 provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
4 schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
5 laws relating thereto," providing for comprehensive school
6 counseling services.
7 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
8 hereby enacts as follows:
9 Section 1. The act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known
10 as the Public School Code of 1949, is amended by adding an
11 article to read:
12 ARTICLE XIII-F
13 COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL COUNSELING SERVICES
14 Section 1301-F. Definitions.
15 The following words and phrases when used in this article
16 shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
17 context clearly indicates otherwise:
18 "Department." The Department of Education of the
19 Commonwealth.
 1 "Direct services." As follows:
2 (1) Services that are provided through face-to-face, in
3 person or virtual, contact with students.
4 (2) The term includes the following:
5 (i) Classroom instruction.
6 (ii) Individual and group counseling for students.
7 (iii) Responsive services on behalf of a student
8 whose immediate personal concerns and problems put the
9 student's academic, career or social and emotional
10 development at risk. Responsive services include the
11 administration of a risk-assessment.
12 (iv) Interventions for a student who is:
13 (A) at risk of dropping out of school; or
14 (B) exhibiting dangerous behaviors, such as drug
15 use, self-harm or gang activity.
16 "Indirect services." Consultations among a student, a parent
17 or legal guardian of the student, school staff and community
18 agencies concerning the student's academic, career or social and
19 emotional needs.
20 "Plan." The comprehensive school counseling plan under
21 section 1302-F.
22 "Program planning and school support." Duties that are not
23 directly related to the plan and are absent of any direct
24 student services or interaction.
25 "School entity." Any of the following:
26 (1) A school district.
27 (2) An intermediate unit as described in Article IX-A.
28 (3) A charter school as defined in section 1703-A.
29 (4) A cyber charter school as defined in section 1703-A.
30 (5) A regional charter school as defined in section
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 1 1703-A.
2 (6) An area career and technical school as described in
3 section 1841.
4 Section 1302-F. Comprehensive school counseling plan.
5 (a) Authorization and purpose.--Each school entity shall
6 develop and implement a written comprehensive school counseling
7 plan that ensures that student services are coordinated in a
8 manner that provides comprehensive and developmental support to
9 all students of the school entity.
10 (b) Requirements generally.--A plan must:
11 (1) Be implemented by a Pennsylvania-certified school
12 counselor or counseling team working within each school in
13 the school entity.
14 (2) Utilize nationally recognized and State-recognized
15 counselor frameworks.
16 (3) Be reviewed annually and updated as needed by the
17 school counselor or counseling team, in collaboration with
18 each affected building principal as well as other
19 stakeholders and staff of each school entity.
20 (4) Be systemically aligned from kindergarten through
21 grade 12 within the school entity, including transitions
22 across schools within the school entity.
23 (5) Include sections for each grade and building within
24 the school entity, including student transitions between
25 grades and buildings as well as student transition to other
26 school entities.
27 (6) Be reflected in and integrated alongside the school
28 entity's student services plan as required under 22 Pa. Code
29 § 4.13 (relating to strategic plans) or any successor
30 regulation.
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 1 (c) Components.--A plan must contain the following:
2 (1) A foundation component, which must include:
3 (i) A vision statement.
4 (ii) A mission statement.
5 (iii) Plan goals.
6 (2) A management component, which utilizes assessments
7 and other data to develop, implement and evaluate the plan.
8 (3) A delivery component, which focuses on direct
9 services and indirect services through the implementation of
10 the plan and which shall include:
11 (i) A plan for each grade taught by the school
12 entity.
13 (ii) A plan for students with individualized
14 education programs and other special needs.
15 (iii) A plan for each building in the school entity,
16 if applicable.
17 (4) An accountability component, which ensures regular
18 analysis of the plan.
19 (d) Contents.--A plan must:
20 (1) Guide students in academic pursuits, career planning
21 and social and emotional learning.
22 (2) Follow the comprehensive school counseling program
23 guidance provided by the department.
24 (3) Include goals that are developed annually based on
25 the vision and mission statements that are shared by
26 stakeholders to ensure equitable access to opportunities for
27 all students.
28 (4) Identify student needs through a multilevel school
29 data review that includes:
30 (i) Data analysis.
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 1 (ii) Use-of-time data review.
2 (iii) Program results data.
3 (iv) Communication and contact with administrators,
4 students, parents and guardians of students and
5 stakeholders.
6 Section 1303-F. School counselor use of time.
7 (a) General requirement.--Sufficient time at each school
8 entity shall be allotted for the school entity's counselor to
9 carry out the duties stated in the school entity's plan.
10 (b) Direct and indirect services.--
11 (1) A school counselor shall spend a majority, with a
12 goal of at least 80%, of the school counselor's working time
13 during student contact days providing direct services and
14 indirect services to students.
15 (2) Direct services and indirect services may be
16 provided in collaboration with other school personnel and may
17 include:
18 (i) Providing academic advisement services,
19 including:
20 (A) Developing an individual planning system to
21 guide a student to access and monitor the student's
22 own educational, career and social and emotional
23 progress.
24 (B) Guiding a student along the pathways to
25 graduation.
26 (C) Guiding a student in goal-setting
27 experiences and course selection aligned with the
28 student's post-secondary goals.
29 (D) Addressing accelerated learning
30 opportunities.
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 1 (E) Addressing academic deficits and the
2 accessibility of resources.
3 (F) Providing student assessment reviews,
4 interest inventories or academic results needed to
5 develop, review and revise a student's plan of study.
6 (G) Providing support for students who show
7 potential so they are more likely to engage in
8 rigorous coursework and take advantage of post-
9 secondary opportunities.
10 (ii) Providing a career planning process, including:
11 (A) Guidance in understanding the relationship
12 between classroom performance and success in school
13 and beyond.
14 (B) The provision of resources to identify
15 career interests and aptitudes to assist a student in
16 age-appropriate college and career planning.
17 (C) Guidance in understanding the advantages of
18 completing career certifications and internships.
19 (D) Interpretation of augmented, criterion-
20 referenced or norm-referenced assessments for
21 students and parents or guardians of students.
22 (E) The provision of information to a parent or
23 legal guardian of a student, such as through
24 workshops on preparing for college, financial aid and
25 career opportunities.
26 (F) Encouragement to a parent or legal guardian
27 of a student to support partnerships in the student's
28 learning and career planning processes.
29 (iii) Providing social and emotional skills designed
30 to support students, including programs to:
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 1 (A) Promote cultural and social awareness,
2 positive communication and relationship skills,
3 collaboration with others and responsible decision
4 making.
5 (B) Improve culture and climate in the school
6 entity so that all students can feel that they are in
7 a safe and supportive environment.
8 (C) Develop conflict-resolution skills.
9 (D) Prevent bullying and harassment, including:
10 (I) Training programs for school employees
11 regarding how to recognize bullying and harassing
12 behaviors.
13 (II) Protocols for responding to bullying or
14 harassment that is occurring in the school
15 entity.
16 (III) Strategies that support a student who
17 is being bullied or harassed.
18 (IV) Strategies that help a bystander speak
19 out against bullying or harassment.
20 (E) Address age-appropriate suicide awareness
21 and prevention through:
22 (I) Strategies that help identify a student
23 who is at risk for suicide.
24 (II) Strategies and protocols that help a
25 student who is at risk for suicide.
26 (III) Protocols for responding to a suicide
27 death.
28 (iv) Intervening with students who are at risk of
29 dropping out of school to determine if there is a way to
30 keep the students in school.
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 1 (v) Providing orientation programs for new students
2 and transferring students at each level of education.
3 (vi) Serving as a contributing member of decision-
4 making teams and programs, which include:
5 (A) Teams that are convened pursuant to a
6 student's individualized education program or 504
7 service agreement.
8 (B) Multitiered System of Supports (MTSS) or
9 Response to Intervention (RTI) teams.
10 (C) English learner programs.
11 (D) Parental involvement or family engagement
12 programs.
13 (E) Positive behavioral intervention support
14 programs.
15 (F) Advanced placement and gifted and talented
16 programs.
17 (c) Program planning and school support.--After applying
18 subsection (b), a school counselor may spend a portion, with a
19 goal of no more than 20%, of the school counselor's working time
20 during student contact days performing program planning and
21 school support.
22 Section 1304-F. Monitoring and support.
23 (a) Posting of plan.--Each school entity shall be
24 responsible for posting its plan on the school entity's publicly
25 accessible Internet website or, in the alternative, on the
26 publicly accessible Internet website of the school entity's
27 school district, under the category of State-required
28 information.
29 (b) Oversight.--Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year,
30 the department shall monitor each school entity to ensure
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 1 implementation and compliance with this article.
2 (c) Departmental duties.--The department shall:
3 (1) Employ at least one individual who is certified as a
4 school counselor.
5 (2) Provide a multilevel system of support to school
6 entities to assist in complying with this article.
7 (3) Provide guidance and technical assistance to school
8 entities to support equitable access to school counseling
9 services.
10 Section 1305-F. Construction.
11 Nothing in this article shall be construed to supersede or
12 preempt the rights, remedies and procedures afforded to school
13 employees or labor organizations under Federal or State law or
14 any provision of a collective bargaining agreement negotiated
15 between a school employer and an exclusive representative of the
16 employees in accordance with the act of July 23, 1970 (P.L.563,
17 No.195), known as the Public Employe Relations Act.
18 Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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Statutes/Laws affected:
Printer's No. 1703: P.L.30, No.14