Florida 2022 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H0941 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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10	10	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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14	14	A bill to be entitled 1
15	15	An act relating to certified school counselors; 2
16	16	creating s. 1012.461, F.S.; providing certification 3
17	17	requirements for school counselors; requiring 4
18	18	certified school counselors to provide a certain 5
19	19	program for a specified purpose; providing program 6
20	20	requirements; authorizing such counselors to perform 7
21	21	certain duties; prohibiting such counselors from 8
22	22	performing certain duties; requiring such counselors 9
23	23	to perform specified duties under certain 10
24	24	circumstances; providing an effective date. 11
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26	26	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 13
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28	28	Section 1. Section 1012.461, Florida Statutes, is created 15
29	29	to read: 16
30	30	1012.461 Certified school counselo rs; authorized duties. — 17
31	31	(1) Certified school counselors must, at a minimum, hold 18
32	32	the certificate required by law and by rules of the State Board 19
33	33	of Education pursuant to s. 1012.55(1)(b). Certified school 20
34	34	counselors must abide by the American School Coun selor 21
35	35	Association's Ethical Standards for School Counselors and 22
36	36	provide a student-centered, data-informed, and outcome -oriented 23
37	37	program that is integrated into the curricula and prepares 24
38	38	students in prekindergarten through grade 12 for postsecondary 25
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47	47	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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51	51	education and training or a career. The program must be designed 26
52	52	using the Department of Education's Florida's School Counseling 27
53	53	Framework. School principals must utilize certified school 28
54	54	counselors to deliver appropriate direct and indirect services 29
55	55	to students pursuant to the American School Counselor 30
56	56	Association's national model. Such delivery of services means 31
57	57	working directly with students, instructional personnel, school 32
58	58	administrators, parents, other school personnel, and the 33
59	59	community to achieve an integr ated approach to students' 34
60	60	educational success and an effective transition to postsecondary 35
61	61	education and training or a career and may include services 36
62	62	recommended by the American School Counselor Association. A 37
63	63	certified school counselor may perform the f ollowing duties, 38
64	64	which are recommended by the American School Counselor 39
65	65	Association: 40
66	66	(a) Advisement appraisal for academic planning, including, 41
67	67	but not limited to, for postsecondary education and training or 42
68	68	career coaching. 43
69	69	(b) Orientation, coordinati on, and academic advising for 44
70	70	new students. However, a certified school counselor may not 45
71	71	perform the clerical duties of coordinating paperwork or data 46
72	72	entry for such students. 47
73	73	(c) Interpreting and supporting school administrators, 48
74	74	instructional personne l, students, and students' parents in 49
75	75	understanding students' cognitive, aptitude, and achievement 50
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84	84	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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88	88	tests. However, a certified school counselor may not serve as a 51
89	89	testing coordinator. 52
90	90	(d) Providing counseling to students who are late to or 53
91	91	absent from school. 54
92	92	(e) Providing mental health supports to students, 55
93	93	including, but not limited to, individual and small group 56
94	94	counseling, including short -term counseling, mental health 57
95	95	services, suicide screenings and assessments, and collaborating 58
96	96	with other school personnel, medical professionals, and 59
97	97	community-based partners to provide referrals to both students 60
98	98	and their families. 61
99	99	(f) Supporting students' social and emotional learning 62
100	100	through classroom lessons and counseling. 63
101	101	(g) Consulting with classroom tea chers to schedule and 64
102	102	present school counseling curriculum lessons based on students' 65
103	103	developmental needs. Such needs must be determined using data 66
104	104	analyzed by certified school counselors. 67
105	105	(h) Interpreting students' records and, pursuant to state 68
106	106	and federal laws, rules, and regulations, protecting students' 69
107	107	records and information. A certified school counselor must focus 70
108	108	on delivering direct services to students and may not perform 71
109	109	clerical duties, including, but not limited to, maintaining 72
110	110	students' records, maintaining students' cumulative folders, or 73
111	111	inputting students' grades. 74
112	112	(i) Analyzing students' grade point averages and their 75
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121	121	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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125	125	relationship to students' achievement. 76
126	126	(j) Consulting with classroom teachers about building 77
127	127	classroom connections, managing effective classrooms, and the 78
128	128	role of noncognitive factors in students' success. 79
129	129	(k) Consulting with a variety of stakeholders including, 80
130	130	but not limited to, school principals and other school 81
131	131	administrators, instructional personnel, parents, student 82
132	132	services personnel, and other school personnel to identify and 83
133	133	resolve students' issues, needs, and problems. A certified 84
134	134	school counselor must be a nonjudgmental advocate for students, 85
135	135	rather than a disciplinarian, and may not perform administrator -86
136	136	specific duties, including, but not limited to, building the 87
137	137	master schedule. 88
138	138	(l) Advocating for students by participating in, as a team 89
139	139	member, but not leading the team, individual education plan 90
140	140	meetings, student study teams, res ponses to intervention plans, 91
141	141	Section 504 plan meetings, multi -tiered systems of support, and 92
142	142	school attendance review boards. 93
143	143	(m) Analyzing disaggregated schoolwide and school 94
144	144	counseling program data for the delivery of programs and 95
145	145	strategies to improv e school success. 96
146	146	(n) Working with students of diverse backgrounds to create 97
147	147	a positive and inclusive school culture for all students. 98
148	148	(2) A certified school counselor may also perform the 99
149	149	following additional duties if such duties are required to be 100
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162	162	performed by all instructional personnel during the school year: 101
163	163	(a) Covering classrooms when classroom teachers are absent 102
164	164	or creating planning times for classroom teachers. 103
165	165	(b) Supervising common areas, including, but not limited 104
166	166	to, the school's cafe teria during lunch periods or the areas 105
167	167	where school buses drop off or pick up students before or after 106
168	168	school. 107
169	169	Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022. 108