Professional School Counselors Pilot Program; establish in certain school districts with high incidences of teen pregnancy or violence.
The pilot program is designed to run for four years, starting in the 2024-2025 school year, with a minimum of one professional school counselor placed in every school within the participating districts. The State Department of Education, alongside health and human services departments, will analyze data to identify the most suitable school districts for participation based on student demographics and various indicators like dropout rates and incidences of violence. The program aims to yield insights on how enhanced counseling services might reduce these troubling figures.
House Bill 601 aims to establish a Professional School Counselors Pilot Program in selected school districts across Mississippi that experience high incidences of teenage pregnancy and school violence. This initiative involves a collaborative effort between the State Board of Education, the State Board of Health, and the Mississippi Department of Human Services. The bill calls for the implementation of comprehensive counseling services to provide personal social counseling, crisis intervention, educational, and career counseling in the chosen districts, with the goal of assessing the effectiveness of professional school counselors compared to schools without them.
While the initiative is primarily geared towards improving student outcomes, it has drawn controversy regarding its stipulation that counselors should not advocate for abortion as a means of preventing pregnancy. This provision has been met with concern that it might restrict comprehensive reproductive health education. Questions surrounding the scope of counseling services and the implications for students needing varied health options further complicate discussions around this bill. Proponents argue it is essential to focus on mental health and counseling services, while critics worry about limitations placed on educational topics that should be accessible to students.