HB 2218 — An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, providing for comprehensive school counseling services.

PRINTER'S NO.   2912

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 2218
                                                  Session of
                                                    2026

     INTRODUCED BY STEELE, RIVERA, PROBST, SANCHEZ, D. WILLIAMS,
        HILL-EVANS, INGLIS, CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, MADDEN, FREEMAN, McNEILL,
        SCHWEYER, MAYES AND SHUSTERMAN, FEBRUARY 12, 2026

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, FEBRUARY 13, 2026


                                       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 face-to-face, in person
 3      or virtually 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 counselor."       An individual who holds a valid
26   certificate for Elementary and Secondary School Counselor issued
27   by the department which qualifies the individual to be employed
28   by and working within a school entity.
29      "School entity."       Any of the following:
30          (1)   A school district.

20260HB2218PN2912                       - 2 -
 1            (2)   An intermediate unit as described in Article IX-A.
 2            (3)   A charter school as defined in section 1703-A.
 3            (4)   A cyber charter school as defined in section 1703-A.
 4            (5)   A regional charter school as defined in section
 5      1703-A.
 6            (6)   An area career and technical school as described in
 7      section 1841.
 8   Section 1302-F.    Comprehensive school counseling plan.
 9      (a)   Authorization and purpose.--Each school entity shall
10   develop and implement a written comprehensive school counseling
11   plan that ensures that student services are coordinated in a
12   manner that provides comprehensive and developmental support to
13   all students of the school entity.
14      (b)   Requirements generally.--A plan must:
15            (1)   Be implemented by a Pennsylvania-certified school
16      counselor or counseling team working within each school in
17      the school entity.
18            (2)   Utilize nationally recognized and State-recognized
19      counselor frameworks.
20            (3)   Be reviewed annually and updated as needed by the
21      school counselor or counseling team, in collaboration with
22      each affected building principal as well as other
23      stakeholders and staff of each school entity.
24            (4)   Be systemically aligned from kindergarten through
25      grade 12 within the school entity, including transitions
26      across schools within the school entity.
27            (5)   Include sections for each grade and building within
28      the school entity, including student transitions between
29      grades and buildings as well as student transition to other
30      school entities.

20260HB2218PN2912                    - 3 -
 1          (6)   Be reflected in and integrated alongside the school
 2    entity's student services plan as required under 22 Pa. Code
 3    § 4.13 (relating to strategic plans) or any successor
 4    regulation.
 5    (c)   Components.--A plan must contain the following:
 6          (1)   A foundation component, which must include:
 7                (i)    A vision statement.
 8                (ii)    A mission statement.
 9                (iii)    Plan goals.
10          (2)   A management component, which utilizes assessments
11    and other data to develop, implement and evaluate the plan.
12          (3)   A delivery component, which focuses on direct
13    services and indirect services through the implementation of
14    the plan and which shall include:
15                (i)    A plan for each grade taught by the school
16          entity.
17                (ii)    A plan for students with individualized
18          education programs and other special needs.
19                (iii)    A plan for each building in the school entity,
20          if applicable.
21          (4)   An accountability component, which ensures regular
22    analysis of the plan.
23    (d)   Contents.--A plan must:
24          (1)   Guide students in academic pursuits, career planning
25    and social and emotional development.
26          (2)   Follow the comprehensive school counseling program
27    guidance provided by the department.
28          (3)   Include goals that are developed annually based on
29    the vision and mission statements that are shared by
30    stakeholders to ensure equitable access to opportunities for

20260HB2218PN2912                        - 4 -
 1      all students.
 2            (4)   Identify student needs through a multilevel school
 3      data review that includes:
 4                  (i)    Data analysis.
 5                  (ii)    Use-of-time data review.
 6                  (iii)    Program results data.
 7                  (iv)    Communication and contact with administrators,
 8            students, parents and guardians of students and
 9            stakeholders.
10   Section 1303-F.        School counselor use of time.
11      (a)   General requirement.--Sufficient time at each school
12   entity shall be allotted for the school entity's counselor to
13   carry out the duties stated in the school entity's plan.
14      (b)   Direct and indirect services.--
15            (1)   A school counselor shall spend a majority, with a
16      goal of at least 80%, of the school counselor's working time
17      during student contact days providing direct services and
18      indirect services to students.
19            (2)   Direct services and indirect services may be
20      provided in collaboration with other school personnel and may
21      include:
22                  (i)    Providing academic advisement services,
23            including:
24                         (A)   Developing an individual planning system to
25                  guide a student to access and monitor the student's
26                  own academic, career and educational progress.
27                         (B)   Guiding a student along the pathways to
28                  graduation.
29                         (C)   Guiding a student in goal-setting
30                  experiences and course selection aligned with the

20260HB2218PN2912                         - 5 -
 1             student's post-secondary goals.
 2                    (D)   Addressing accelerated learning
 3             opportunities.
 4                    (E)   Addressing academic deficits and the
 5             accessibility of resources.
 6                    (F)   Providing student assessment reviews,
 7             interest inventories or academic results needed to
 8             develop, review and revise a student's plan of study.
 9                    (G)   Providing support for students who show
10             potential so they are more likely to engage in
11             rigorous coursework and take advantage of post-
12             secondary opportunities.
13             (ii)    Providing a career planning process, including:
14                    (A)   Guidance in understanding the relationship
15             between classroom performance and success in school
16             and beyond.
17                    (B)   The provision of resources to identify
18             career interests and aptitudes to assist a student in
19             age-appropriate college and career planning.
20                    (C)   Guidance in understanding the advantages of
21             completing career certifications and internships.
22                    (D)   Interpretation of augmented, criterion-
23             referenced or norm-referenced assessments for
24             students and parents or guardians of students.
25                    (E)   The provision of information to a parent or
26             legal guardian of a student, such as through
27             workshops on preparing for college, financial aid and
28             career opportunities.
29                    (F)   Encouragement to a parent or legal guardian
30             of a student to support partnerships in the student's

20260HB2218PN2912                    - 6 -
 1             learning and career planning processes.
 2             (iii)    Providing social and emotional skills designed
 3        to support students, including programs to:
 4                    (A)   Promote positive communication and
 5             relationship skills, collaboration with others and
 6             responsible decision making.
 7                    (B)   Improve the climate in the school entity so
 8             that all students can feel that they are in a safe
 9             and supportive environment.
10                    (C)   Develop conflict-resolution skills.
11                    (D)   Prevent bullying and harassment, including:
12                          (I)    Training programs for school employees
13                    regarding how to recognize bullying and harassing
14                    behaviors.
15                          (II)    Protocols for responding to bullying or
16                    harassment that is occurring in the school
17                    entity.
18                          (III)    Strategies that support a student who
19                    is being bullied or harassed.
20                          (IV)    Strategies that help a bystander speak
21                    out against bullying or harassment.
22                    (E)   Address age-appropriate suicide awareness
23             and prevention through:
24                          (I)     Strategies that help identify a student
25                    who is at risk for suicide.
26                          (II)    Strategies and protocols that help a
27                    student who is at risk for suicide.
28                          (III)    Protocols for responding to a suicide
29                    death.
30             (iv)    Intervening with students who are at risk of

20260HB2218PN2912                        - 7 -
 1            dropping out of school to determine if there is a way to
 2            keep the students in school.
 3                (v)    Providing orientation programs for new students
 4            and transferring students at each level of education.
 5                (vi)    Serving as a contributing member of decision-
 6            making teams and programs, which include:
 7                       (A)   Teams that are convened pursuant to a
 8                student's individualized education program or 504
 9                service agreement.
10                       (B)   Multitiered System of Supports (MTSS) or
11                Response to Intervention (RTI) teams.
12                       (C)   English learner programs.
13                       (D)   Parental involvement or family engagement
14                programs.
15                       (E)   Positive behavioral intervention support
16                programs.
17                       (F)   Advanced placement and gifted and talented
18                programs.
19      (c)   Program planning and school support.--After applying
20   subsection (b), a school counselor may spend a portion, with a
21   goal of no more than 20%, of the school counselor's working time
22   during student contact days performing program planning and
23   school support.
24   Section 1304-F.      Monitoring and support.
25      (a)   Posting of plan.--Each school entity shall be
26   responsible for posting its plan on the school entity's publicly
27   accessible Internet website or, in the alternative, on the
28   publicly accessible Internet website of the school entity's
29   school district, under the category of State-required
30   information.

20260HB2218PN2912                       - 8 -
 1      (b)   Oversight.--Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year,
 2   the department shall monitor each school entity to ensure
 3   implementation and compliance with this article.
 4      (c)   Departmental duties.--The department shall:
 5            (1)   Employ at least one individual who is certified as a
 6      school counselor.
 7            (2)   Provide a multilevel system of support to school
 8      entities to assist in complying with this article.
 9            (3)   Provide guidance and technical assistance to school
10      entities to support equitable access to school counseling
11      services.
12   Section 1305-F.    Construction.
13      Nothing in this article shall be construed to supersede or
14   preempt the rights, remedies and procedures afforded to school
15   employees or labor organizations under Federal or State law or
16   any provision of a collective bargaining agreement negotiated
17   between a school employer and an exclusive representative of the
18   employees in accordance with the act of July 23, 1970 (P.L.563,
19   No.195), known as the Public Employe Relations Act.
20      Section 2.     This act shall take effect immediately.




20260HB2218PN2912                    - 9 -