[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1142 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
103d CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1142
To improve counseling services for elementary school children.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 22, 1993
Mr. Harkin introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To improve counseling services for elementary school children.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Elementary School Counseling
Demonstration Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.
(a) Findings.--The Congress finds that--
(1) elementary school children are being subjected to
unprecedented social stresses, including fragmentation of the
family, drug and alcohol abuse, child abuse, poverty, and
violence, and experts indicate that intervention at an early
age is the most beneficial;
(2) an increasing number of elementary school children are
exhibiting symptoms of distress, such as substance abuse,
emotional disorders, academic underachievement, disruptive
behavior, juvenile delinquency, and suicide;
(3) elementary school counselors, school psychologists and
school social workers can contribute to the personal growth,
educational development, and emotional well-being of elementary
school children by providing professional counseling,
intervention, and referral services;
(4) the average ratio of elementary school counselors to
students is 1 to 1,000, the average ratio of school
psychologists to students is 1 to 2,500, and the average ratio
of school social workers to students is 1 to 2,500;
(5) when there is 1 counselor to 1,000 students, 1 school
psychologist to 2,500 students, and 1 school social worker to
2,500 students, elementary school counseling programs are
seldom adequate;
(6) the Federal Government can help reduce the risk of
academic, social, and emotional problems among elementary
school children by stimulating the development of model
elementary school counseling programs; and
(7) the Federal Government can help reduce the risk of
future unemployment and assist the school to work transition by
stimulating the development of model elementary school
counseling programs that include comprehensive career
development.
(b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to enhance the
availability and quality of counseling services for elementary school
children by providing grants to local educational agencies to enable
such agencies to establish effective and innovative elementary school
counseling programs that can serve as national models.
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each of the
fiscal years 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998 to carry out this Act.
SEC. 4. PROGRAM AUTHORITY.
(a) In General.--From amounts appropriated pursuant to the
authority of section 3 in any fiscal year, the Secretary shall make
grants to local educational agencies having applications approved under
section 5 to initiate or expand school counseling programs for
elementary school children.
(b) Priority.--In awarding grants under this Act, the Secretary
shall give special consideration to applications describing programs
that--
(1) demonstrate the greatest need for new or additional
counseling services among the children in the elementary
schools served by the applicant;
(2) propose the most promising and innovative approaches
for initiating or expanding elementary school counseling; and
(3) show the greatest potential for replication and
dissemination.
(c) Equitable Distribution.--In awarding grants under this Act, the
Secretary shall ensure an equitable geographic distribution among the
regions of the United States and among urban, suburban, and rural
areas.
(d) Duration.--A grant under this Act shall be awarded for a period
not to exceed 3 years.
(e) Maximum Grant.--A grant under this Act shall not exceed
$400,000 for any fiscal year.
SEC. 5. APPLICATIONS.
(a) In General.--Each local educational agency desiring a grant
under this Act shall submit an application to the Secretary at such
time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as the
Secretary may reasonably require.
(b) Notification of State Educational Agency.--Before submitting an
application to the Secretary in accordance with subsection (a), a local
educational agency shall provide the State educational agency with an
opportunity to review and comment on the program described in such
application. The comments of the State educational agency shall be
appended to the application upon submission of the application to the
Secretary.
(c) Contents.--Each application for a grant under this Act shall--
(1) describe the elementary school population to be
targeted by the program, the particular personal, social,
emotional, educational, and career development needs of such
population, and the current school counseling resources
available for meeting such needs;
(2) describe the activities, services, and training to be
provided by the program and the specific approaches to be used
to meet the needs described in paragraph (1);
(3) describe the methods to be used to evaluate the
outcomes and effectiveness of the program;
(4) describe the collaborative efforts to be undertaken
with institutions of higher education, businesses, labor
organizations, community groups, social service agencies, and
other public or private entities to enhance the program and
promote school-linked services integration;
(5) describe collaborative efforts with institutions of
higher education which specifically seek to enhance or improve
graduate programs specializing in the preparation of elementary
school counselors, school psychologists, and school social
workers;
(6) document that the applicant has the personnel qualified
to develop, implement, and administer the program;
(7) describe how any diverse cultural populations would be
served through the program;
(8) assure that the funds made available under this Act for
any fiscal year will be used to supplement and, to the extent
practicable, increase the level of funds that would otherwise
be available from non-Federal sources for the program described
in the application, and in no case supplant such funds from
non-Federal sources; and
(9) assure that the applicant will appoint an advisory
board composed of parents, school counselors, school
psychologists, school social workers, other pupil services
personnel, teachers, school administrators, and community
leaders to advise the local educational agency on the design
and implementation of the program.
SEC. 6. USE OF FUNDS.
(a) In General.--Grant funds under this Act shall be used to
initiate or expand elementary school counseling programs that comply
with the requirements in subsection (b).
(b) Program Requirements.--Each program assisted under this Act
shall--
(1) be comprehensive in addressing the personal, social,
emotional, educational, and career development needs of all
students;
(2) use a developmental, preventive approach to counseling;
(3) increase the range, availability, quantity, and quality
of counseling services in the elementary schools of the local
educational agency;
(4) ensure a team approach to school counseling by
maintaining a ratio in the elementary schools of the local
educational agency that does not exceed 1 school counselor to
250 students, 1 school social worker to 800 students and 1
school psychologist to 1,000 students;
(5) expand counseling services only through qualified
school counselors, school psychologists, and school social
workers;
(6) use innovative approaches to increase children's
understanding of peer and family relationships, work and self,
decisionmaking, academic and career planning, or to improve
social functioning;
(7) provide counseling services with the goal of developing
a highly skilled workforce through a range of quality
educational programs and work-related experiences that allow
students to reach high school graduation equipped to tackle
immediately the world of work, or to continue in some form of
postsecondary education or training, or both;
(8) provide counseling services that are well-balanced
among classroom group and small group counseling, individual
counseling, and consultation with parents, teachers,
administrators, and other pupil services personnel;
(9) include inservice training for school counselors,
school social workers, school psychologists, other pupil
services personnel, teachers, and instructional staff;
(10) involve parents of participating students in the
design, implementation, and evaluation of a counseling program;
(11) involve collaborative efforts with institutions of
higher education, businesses, labor organizations, community
groups, social service agencies, or other public or private
entities to enhance the program and promote school-linked
services integration;
(12) ensure that school counselors, school psychologists or
school social workers paid from funds made available under this
Act spend at least 85 percent of their total work time in
activities directly related to the counseling process and not
more than 15 percent of such time on administrative tasks that
are associated with the counseling program;
(13) provide supervision for professionals who are hired
under this Act by supervisors who are school counselors, school
social workers, and school psychologists; and
(14) evaluate annually the effectiveness and outcomes of
the counseling services and activities assisted under this Act.
SEC. 7. NATIONAL ADMINISTRATION.
(a) Office of Pupil Services.--
(1) In general.--Title II of the Department of Education
Organization Act (20 U.S.C. 3411 et seq.) is amended by adding
at the end the following new section:
``office of pupil services
``Sec. 216. (a) There shall be in the Department of Education an
Office of Pupil Services, to be administered by the Director of Pupil
Services. Such Office shall be established in accordance with section
405A of the General Education Provisions Act.
``(b) The Director of Pupil Services shall be an individual of
recognized professional qualifications and experience in the field of
pupil services.''.
(2) Amendment to the general education provisions act.--
Part A of the General Education Provisions Act (20 U.S.C. 1221e
et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 405 the
following new section:
``SEC. 405A. OFFICE OF PUPIL SERVICES.
``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish an Office of
Pupil Services (hereafter in this section referred to as the `Office').
``(b) Functions of the Office.--The Office shall be responsible
for--
``(1) administering, reviewing, and monitoring pupil
services programs, including the programs funded under the
Elementary School Counseling Act; and
``(2) providing a national focal point for information and
technical assistance regarding the counseling, personal,
social, emotional, educational, career development and
psychological needs of elementary and secondary school
children.''.
(b) Data Collection and Evaluation.--
(1) In general.--The Director of the Office of Pupil
Services shall compile the evaluations of the programs assisted
under this Act and shall regularly collect such data as the
Secretary finds necessary to develop a profile of the use and
impact of funds provided under this Act.
(2) Report.--The Secretary shall issue a report evaluating
the programs assisted pursuant to each grant under this section
at the end of each grant period, but in no case later than
January 30, 1998.
(c) Dissemination.--The Secretary shall make the programs assisted
under this Act available for dissemination, either through the National
Diffusion Network or other appropriate means.
(d) Limit on Administration.--Not more than 5 percent of the
amounts appropriated pursuant to the authority of section 3 in any
fiscal year shall be used to carry out the provisions of this section,
including the costs of establishing the Office of Pupil Services.
SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of this Act--
(1) the term ``comprehensive'' means, with respect to
counseling services, a program in which--
(A) a school counselor, school psychologist, or
school social worker uses a range of individual and
group techniques and resources in a planned way to meet
the personal, social, emotional, educational, and
career development needs of all elementary children in
a school; and
(B) a school counselor, school psychologist, or
school social worker works directly with children,
families, teachers, and other school or agency
personnel to create an optimal positive learning
environment and personal growth opportunities for all
children;
(2) the term ``developmental'' means, with respect to a
school counseling program, a systematically planned program
that--
(A) provides appropriate school counseling
interventions to foster the social, emotional,
physical, moral, and cognitive growth of elementary
school children;
(B) provides intervention services to help children
cope with family, social, emotional, and academic
problems; and
(C) supports and enhances the efforts of families,
teachers, and other school personnel to provide
children maximum opportunity to acquire competence and
skill in self-understanding and appreciation,
interpersonal interaction, educational achievement and
literacy, and career awareness and personal
decisionmaking;
(3) the term ``Director'' means the Director of the Office
of Pupil Services in the Department of Education;
(4) the term ``elementary school'' has the meaning given
such term in section 1471(8) of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965;
(5) the term ``institution of higher education'' has the
meaning given such term in section 1201(a) of the Higher
Education Act of 1965;
(6) the term ``local educational agency'' has the meaning
given such term in section 1471(12) of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965;
(7) the term ``parent'' has the meaning given such term in
section 1471(14) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
of 1965;
(8) the term ``pupil services personnel'' has the meaning
given such term in section 1471(17) of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965;
(9) the term ``school counselor'' means an individual who
has documented competence in counseling children and
adolescents in a school setting and who--
(A) possesses State licensure or certification
granted by an independent professional regulatory
authority;
(B) in the absence of such State licensure or
certification, possesses national certification in
school counseling or a specialty of counseling granted
by an independent professional organization; or
(C) holds a minimum of a master's degree in school
counseling from a program accredited by the Council for
Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational
Programs or the equivalent;
(10) the term ``school psychologist'' means an individual
who--
(A) possesses a minimum of 60 graduate semester
hours in school psychology from an institution of
higher education and has completed 1,200 clock hours in
a supervised school psychology internship, of which 600
hours shall be in the school setting; and
(B) possess State licensure or certification in the
State in which the individual works; or
(C) in the absence of such State licensure or
certification, possess national certification by the
National School Psychology Certification Board;
(11) the term ``school social worker'' means an individual
who holds a master's degree in social work and is licensed or
certified by the State in which services are provided or holds
a school social work specialist credential;
(12) the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of
Education;
(13) the term ``State educational agency'' has the meaning
given such term in section 1471(23) of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965; and
(14) the term ``supervisor'' means an individual who has
the equivalent number of years of professional experience in
such individual's respective discipline as is required of
teaching experience for the supervisor or administrative
credential in the State of such individual.
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