[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 13 (Monday, January 31, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S366-S367]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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 SENATE RESOLUTION 34--DESIGNATING THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 7 THROUGH 11, 
              2011, AS ``NATIONAL SCHOOL COUNSELING WEEK''

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

                               S. Res. 34

       Whereas the American School Counselor Association has 
     designated the week of February 7 through 11, 2011, as 
     ``National School Counseling Week'';
       Whereas the importance of school counseling has been 
     recognized through the inclusion of elementary and secondary 
     school counseling programs in amendments to the Elementary 
     and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.);
       Whereas school counselors have long advocated that the 
     education system of the United States must provide equitable 
     opportunities for all students;
       Whereas personal and social growth results in increased 
     academic achievement;
       Whereas school counselors help develop well-rounded 
     students by guiding the students through academic, personal, 
     social, and career development;
       Whereas school counselors assist with and coordinate 
     efforts to foster a positive school culture resulting in a 
     safer learning environment for all students;
       Whereas school counselors have been instrumental in helping 
     students, teachers, and parents deal with personal trauma as 
     well as tragedies in the community and the United States;
       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 one of 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 457-to-1 is almost twice the 250-to-1 ratio 
     recommended by the American School Counselor Association, the 
     American Counseling Association, the National Association for 
     College Admission Counseling, 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

[[Page S367]]

       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates the week of February 7 through 11, 2011, 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 play in the 
     school and the community at large in preparing students for 
     fulfilling lives as contributing members of society.

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