| 4 | 3 | | |
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| 5 | 4 | | SENATE BILL 341 |
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| 6 | 5 | | By Lowe |
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| 7 | 6 | | |
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| 8 | 7 | | |
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| 9 | 8 | | SB0341 |
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| 10 | 9 | | 000908 |
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| 11 | 10 | | - 1 - |
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| 12 | 11 | | |
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| 13 | 12 | | AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, |
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| 14 | 13 | | relative to school counselors. |
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| 15 | 14 | | |
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| 16 | 15 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE: |
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| 17 | 16 | | SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 3, Part 1, is amended by |
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| 18 | 17 | | adding the following as a new section: |
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| 19 | 18 | | (a) |
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| 20 | 19 | | (1) Subject to appropriation, the department shall allocate to each LEA |
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| 21 | 20 | | sufficient funds for the LEA to employ one (1) full-time licensed professional |
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| 22 | 21 | | school counselor position at each high school in the LEA that enrolls at least six |
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| 23 | 22 | | hundred (600) students in grades ten through twelve (10-12). |
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| 24 | 23 | | (2) If an LEA employs one (1) or more part-time licensed professional |
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| 25 | 24 | | school counselors at a high school that enrolls at least six hundred (600) |
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| 26 | 25 | | students in grades ten through twelve (10-12), then the LEA may use any funds |
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| 27 | 26 | | received pursuant to subdivision (a)(1) to employ the part-time licensed |
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| 28 | 27 | | professional school counselor on a full-time basis. An LEA that converts a part- |
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| 29 | 28 | | time licensed professional school counselor position to a full-time position |
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| 30 | 29 | | pursuant to this subdivision (a)(2) satisfies the requirement in subsection (b). |
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| 31 | 30 | | (3) If an LEA employs one (1) full-time licensed professional school |
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| 32 | 31 | | counselor for every two hundred fifty (250) student members of the LEA, then the |
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| 33 | 32 | | LEA may use any funds received pursuant to subdivision (a)(1) to supplant the |
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| 34 | 33 | | cost to the LEA of employing the number of full-time licensed professional school |
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| 35 | 34 | | counselors required to meet the specified ratio. |
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| 36 | 35 | | |
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| 37 | 36 | | |
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| 38 | 37 | | - 2 - 000908 |
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| 39 | 38 | | |
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| 40 | 39 | | (b) Each LEA shall employ one (1) full-time licensed professional school |
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| 41 | 40 | | counselor at each high school for which the LEA receives funding pursuant to this |
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| 42 | 41 | | section. This subsection (b) does not require an LEA that employs one (1) full-time |
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| 43 | 42 | | licensed professional school counselor position for every two hundred fifty (250) student |
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| 44 | 43 | | members of the LEA to employ any additional full-time licensed professional school |
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| 45 | 44 | | counselor positions beyond the number required for the LEA to meet the specified ratio. |
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| 46 | 45 | | (c) The funds allocated to an LEA pursuant to this section are in addition to the |
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| 47 | 46 | | funds allocated to the LEA for purposes of the TISA. |
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| 48 | 47 | | (d) |
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| 49 | 48 | | (1) The state board may promulgate rules, in consultation with the |
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| 50 | 49 | | department, to establish the roles and responsibilities required of a full-time |
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| 51 | 50 | | licensed professional school counselor whose position is funded pursuant to this |
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| 52 | 51 | | section that exceed those required of school counselors in § 49-6-303. |
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| 53 | 52 | | (2) The state board shall promulgate rules, in consultation with the |
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| 54 | 53 | | department, to establish the amount of time each full-time licensed professional |
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| 55 | 54 | | school counselor whose position is funded pursuant to this section must dedicate |
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| 56 | 55 | | to providing high school students the preventative and developmental counseling |
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| 57 | 56 | | services required in § 49-6-303(b), one (1) or more of the counseling and |
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| 58 | 57 | | guidance services listed in § 49-5-302(b), and any of the services required to |
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| 59 | 58 | | comply with any additional roles and responsibilities established by the state |
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| 60 | 59 | | board pursuant to subdivision (d)(1); provided, that each full-time licensed |
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| 61 | 60 | | professional school counselor must dedicate at least seventy percent (70%) of |
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| 62 | 61 | | the counselor's time to working directly with high school students. |
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| 63 | 62 | | |
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| 64 | 63 | | |
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| 65 | 64 | | - 3 - 000908 |
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| 66 | 65 | | |
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| 67 | 66 | | SECTION 2. This act is not an appropriation of funds, and funds shall not be obligated |
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| 68 | 67 | | or expended pursuant to this act unless the funds are specifically appropriated by the general |
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| 69 | 68 | | assembly. |
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| 70 | 69 | | SECTION 3. For purposes of promulgating rules, this act takes effect upon becoming a |
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| 71 | 70 | | law, the public welfare requiring it. For all other purposes, this act takes effect July 1, 2025, the |
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| 72 | 71 | | public welfare requiring it, and applies to the 2025-2026 school year and each school year |
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| 73 | 72 | | thereafter. |
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