[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 10 (Friday, January 16, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S655-S656]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENATE RESOLUTION 16--DESIGNATING THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 2 THROUGH 
        FEBRUARY 6, 2009, AS ``NATIONAL SCHOOL COUNSELING WEEK''

  Mrs. MURRAY (for herself and Ms. Collins) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

[[Page S656]]

                               S. Res. 16

       Whereas the American School Counselor Association has 
     declared the week of February 2 through February 6, 2009, as 
     ``National School Counseling Week'';
       Whereas the Senate has recognized the importance of school 
     counseling through the inclusion of elementary and secondary 
     school counseling programs in the reauthorization of the 
     Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965;
       Whereas school counselors have long advocated that the 
     education system of the United States must leave no child 
     behind and must provide opportunities for every student;
       Whereas personal and social growth results in increased 
     academic achievement;
       Whereas school counselors help develop well-rounded 
     students by guiding them through their academic, personal, 
     social, and career development;
       Whereas students face myriad challenges every day, 
     including peer pressure, depression, the deployment of family 
     members to serve in conflicts overseas, and school violence;
       Whereas school counselors are among the few professionals 
     in a school building who are trained in both education and 
     mental health matters;
       Whereas the roles and responsibilities of school counselors 
     are often misunderstood, and the school counselor position is 
     often among the first to be eliminated in order to meet 
     budgetary constraints;
       Whereas the national average ratio of students to school 
     counselors of 476-to-1 is almost twice the 250-to-1 ratio 
     recommended by the American School Counselor Association, the 
     American Counseling Association, the American Medical 
     Association, the American Psychological Association, and 
     other organizations; and
       Whereas the celebration of National School Counseling Week 
     would increase awareness of the important and necessary role 
     school counselors play in the lives of students in the United 
     States: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates the week of February 2 through February 6, 
     2009, as ``National School Counseling Week''; and
       (2) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
     the week with appropriate ceremonies and activities that 
     promote awareness of the role school counselors perform in 
     the school and the community at large in preparing students 
     for fulfilling lives as contributing members of society.

                          ____________________