SB 33 — 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.   969

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                        SENATE BILL
                        No. 33
                                                  Session of
                                                    2025

     INTRODUCED BY L. WILLIAMS, TARTAGLIONE, HUGHES, HAYWOOD,
        FONTANA, SCHWANK AND COSTA, JUNE 18, 2025

     REFERRED TO EDUCATION, JUNE 18, 2025


                                       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.
20      "Direct services."    As follows:
 1          (1)   Services that are provided face-to-face, in person
 2      or virtually with students.
 3          (2)   The term includes the following:
 4                (i)    Classroom instruction.
 5                (ii)    Individual and group counseling for students.
 6                (iii)    Responsive services on behalf of a student
 7          whose immediate personal concerns and problems put the
 8          student's academic, career or social and emotional
 9          development at risk. Responsive services include the
10          administration of a risk-assessment.
11                (iv)    Interventions for a student who is:
12                       (A)   at risk of dropping out of school; or
13                       (B)   exhibiting dangerous behaviors, such as drug
14                use, self-harm or gang activity.
15      "Indirect services."       Consultations among a student, a parent
16   or legal guardian of the student, school staff and community
17   agencies concerning the student's academic, career or social and
18   emotional needs.
19      "Plan."   The comprehensive school counseling plan under
20   section 1302-F.
21      "Program planning and school support."         Duties that are not
22   directly related to the plan and are absent of any direct
23   student services or interaction.
24      "School counselor."       An individual who holds a valid
25   certificate for Elementary and Secondary School Counselor issued
26   by the department which qualifies the individual to be employed
27   by and working within a school entity.
28      "School entity."       Any of the following:
29          (1)   A school district.
30          (2)   An intermediate unit as described in Article IX-A.

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

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

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

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

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

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 1            keep the students in school.
 2                (v)    Providing orientation programs for new students
 3            and transferring students at each level of education.
 4                (vi)    Serving as a contributing member of decision-
 5            making teams and programs, which include:
 6                       (A)   Teams that are convened pursuant to a
 7                student's individualized education program or 504
 8                service agreement.
 9                       (B)   Multitiered System of Supports (MTSS) or
10                Response to Intervention (RTI) teams.
11                       (C)   English learner programs.
12                       (D)   Parental involvement or family engagement
13                programs.
14                       (E)   Positive behavioral intervention support
15                programs.
16                       (F)   Advanced placement and gifted and talented
17                programs.
18      (c)   Program planning and school support.--After applying
19   subsection (b), a school counselor may spend a portion, with a
20   goal of no more than 20%, of the school counselor's working time
21   during student contact days performing program planning and
22   school support.
23   Section 1304-F.      Monitoring and support.
24      (a)   Posting of plan.--Each school entity shall be
25   responsible for posting its plan on the school entity's publicly
26   accessible Internet website or, in the alternative, on the
27   publicly accessible Internet website of the school entity's
28   school district, under the category of State-required
29   information.
30      (b)   Oversight.--Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year,

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




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