Introduced Version
House Bill 2563 History
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Committee Substitute
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Key: Green = existing Code. Red = new code to be enacted
H. B. 2563
(By Delegates Eldridge, Phillips, R., Stowers, Tomblin,
Campbell, Reynolds, Ferns, Marcum, White, Longstreth and Fragale)
[Introduced February 20, 2013; referred to the
Committee on Education then Finance.]
A BILL to amend and reenact §18-5-18b of the Code of West Virginia,
1931, as amended, relating to county boards of education;
school counselors; reducing the daily administrative time
required of counselors; and increasing the time actually spent
in counseling at-risk students and other pupils.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §18-5-18b of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended,
be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 5. COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION.
§18-5-18b. School counselors in public schools.
(a) A school counselor means a professional educator who holds
a valid school counselor's certificate in accordance with article
three of this chapter section one, article one, chapter eighteen-a
of this code.
(b) Each county board shall provide counseling services for
each pupil enrolled in the public schools of the county.
(c) The school counselor shall work with individual pupils and
groups of pupils in providing developmental, preventive and
remedial guidance and counseling programs to meet academic, social,
emotional and physical needs; including programs to identify and
address the problem of potential school dropouts. The school
counselor also may provide consultant services for parents,
teachers and administrators and may use outside referral services,
when appropriate, if no additional cost is incurred by the county
board.
(d) The state board may adopt rules consistent with the
provisions of this section that define the role of a school
counselor based on the "National Standards for School Counseling
Programs" of the American school counselor association. A school
counselor is authorized to perform such services as are not
inconsistent with the provisions of the rule as adopted by the
state board. To the extent that any funds are made available for
this purpose, county boards shall provide training for counselors
and administrators to implement the rule as adopted by the state
board.
(e) Each county board shall develop a comprehensive drop-out
prevention program utilizing the expertise of school counselors and
any other appropriate resources available.
(f) School counselors shall be full-time professional
personnel, shall spend at least seventy-five ninety percent of work time in a direct counseling relationship with at-risk students and
other pupils, and shall devote no more than one fourth tenth of the
work day to administrative activities: Provided, That such
activities are counselor related.
(g) Nothing in this section prohibits a county board from
exceeding the provisions of this section, or requires any specific
level of funding by the Legislature.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to reduce the daily
administrative time required of school counselors and increasing
the time actually spent in counseling at-risk students and other
pupils.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would
be added.