ACA President Advocates for School Counselors on Capitol Hill

ACA President Dr. Lynn E. Linde recently held multiple high-level congressional meetings on the important role of credentialed school counselors in helping all students succeed in school and life. Dr. Linde met with expert staff of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and the House Education and Labor Committee to discuss improving students' access to school counselors and explaining the essential services and supports school counselors deliver. Specifically, Dr. Linde met with staff for Senate HELP Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Ranking Member Michael Enzi (R-WY), among others.

These meetings come on the heels of a May 12 Congressional briefing ACA secured for the National Alliance of Pupil Services Organizations (NAPSO), which ACA co-chairs with the School Social Work Association of America and the National Association of School Psychologists. The briefing highlighted the coalition's Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) recommendations, which are very similar to ACA's. Eight practicing specialized instructional support personnel, including a professional school counselor, shared their insights and concerns directly with congressional staff working on revising, or reauthorizing, ESEA.

Dr. Linde's meetings and NAPSO's briefing are part of ACA's continued strong advocacy to elevate professional school counselors in policy and practice. This includes ACA's submission of numerous Congressional testimonies and recommendations urging increased investments in professional school counselors and comprehensive school counseling programs. For more information, contact ACA Legislative Representative Dominic Holt at dholt@counseling.org, or 703-823-9800, x242.

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