Regents approve new regulations on 'access' to school counselors

On Board Online • May 29, 2017

By Cathy Woodruff
Senior Writer

Revised regulations approved by the Regents at their May meeting include new provisions designed to ensure that all K-12 students, including those in primary and elementary grades, have access to the services of a certified school counselor.

School counselors work in three primary student support areas: academic program planning and development, social-emotional development and college and career readiness preparation. In the past, they were called guidance counselors.

School counselors typically work collaboratively with social workers and psychologists to address students' needs. In some schools or districts, duties and responsibilities of counselors, social workers and psychologists overlap.

"Districts need to be as up-to-date as possible on the different roles of these three disciplines and not see them as interchangeable, because they're not," said Gloria Jean, a past president of the New York State School Counselor Association.

The new regulations, which take effect in the 2019-20 school year, do not mandate a minimum or maximum ratio of students to counselors. Future guidance from the State Education Department should help clarify what is meant by "access," Jean said.