This bill aims to amend the Code of West Virginia to establish a statewide full-time professional counselor-to-student ratio of one counselor for every 250 students, while ensuring that every public school in the state has at least one professional counselor. The bill outlines the responsibilities of school counselors, including providing developmental, preventive, and remedial guidance, and emphasizes the need for training in various counseling areas. Additionally, it mandates that school counselors spend a significant portion of their time directly counseling students rather than engaging in administrative tasks.

The bill also introduces new funding provisions, stating that counties will receive funds for hiring school counselors based on a specified ratio, with a minimum requirement of one counselor per school. Furthermore, it modifies the foundation allowance for professional student support services to align with the new counselor-to-student ratio, ensuring adequate financial support for the implementation of these counseling services in public schools.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 18-5-18band18