| 1 | 1 | | By: Lopez of Cameron H.B. No. 154 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 6 | 6 | | relating to the duties of a public school counselor. |
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| 7 | 7 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 8 | 8 | | SECTION 1. Sections 33.006(a) and (b), Education Code, are |
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| 9 | 9 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 10 | 10 | | (a) The primary responsibility of a school counselor is to |
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| 11 | 11 | | counsel students to fully develop each student's academic, career, |
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| 12 | 12 | | and personal[, and social] abilities. |
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| 13 | 13 | | (b) In addition to a school counselor's responsibility |
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| 14 | 14 | | under Subsection (a), the school counselor shall: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (1) participate in planning, implementing, and |
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| 16 | 16 | | evaluating a comprehensive developmental school counseling |
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| 17 | 17 | | [guidance] program to serve all students and to address the special |
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| 18 | 18 | | needs of students: |
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| 19 | 19 | | (A) who are at risk of dropping out of school, |
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| 20 | 20 | | becoming substance abusers, participating in gang activity, or |
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| 21 | 21 | | committing suicide; |
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| 22 | 22 | | (B) who are at risk of: |
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| 23 | 23 | | (i) choosing an unhealthy or inappropriate |
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| 24 | 24 | | solution to a problem; or |
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| 25 | 25 | | (ii) engaging in harmful behavior toward |
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| 26 | 26 | | the student's self or others; |
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| 27 | 27 | | (C) who are in need of modified instructional |
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| 28 | 28 | | strategies; or |
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| 29 | 29 | | (D) [(C)] who are gifted and talented, with |
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| 30 | 30 | | emphasis on identifying and serving gifted and talented students |
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| 31 | 31 | | who are educationally disadvantaged; |
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| 32 | 32 | | (2) consult with a student's parent or guardian and |
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| 33 | 33 | | make referrals as appropriate in consultation with the student's |
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| 34 | 34 | | parent or guardian; |
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| 35 | 35 | | (3) consult with school staff, parents, and other |
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| 36 | 36 | | community members to help them increase the effectiveness of |
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| 37 | 37 | | student education and promote student success; |
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| 38 | 38 | | (4) coordinate people and resources in the school, |
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| 39 | 39 | | home, and community; |
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| 40 | 40 | | (5) with the assistance of school staff, interpret |
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| 41 | 41 | | standardized test results and other assessment data that help a |
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| 42 | 42 | | student make educational and career plans; |
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| 43 | 43 | | (6) deliver classroom guidance activities or serve as |
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| 44 | 44 | | a consultant to teachers conducting lessons based on the school's |
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| 45 | 45 | | guidance curriculum; and |
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| 46 | 46 | | (7) serve as an impartial, nonreporting resource for |
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| 47 | 47 | | interpersonal conflicts and discord involving two or more students, |
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| 48 | 48 | | including accusations of bullying under Section 37.0832. |
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| 49 | 49 | | SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2023-2024 |
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| 50 | 50 | | school year. |
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| 51 | 51 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect on the 91st day after the |
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| 52 | 52 | | last day of the legislative session. |
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