[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Pages 2159-2160]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    NATIONAL SCHOOL COUNSELING WEEK

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary 
Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 37, and 
that the Senate then proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk 
will report the resolution by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 37) designating the week of February 
     7 through February 11, 2005, as ``National School Counseling 
     Week''.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution and preamble 
be agreed to en bloc, the motion to reconsider be laid on the table, 
that any statement relating thereto be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 37) was agreed to.

[[Page 2160]]

  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                               S. Res. 37

       Whereas the American School Counselor Association has 
     declared the week of February 7 through February 11, 2005, 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 school counselors were instrumental in helping 
     students, teachers, and parents deal with the trauma of 
     terrorism inflicted on the United States on September 11, 
     2001, and the aftermath of that trauma;
       Whereas students face myriad challenges every day, 
     including peer pressure, depression, and school violence;
       Whereas school counselors are usually the only 
     professionals in a school building that are trained in both 
     education and mental health;
       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 485-to-1 is more than double 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,

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION OF NATIONAL SCHOOL COUNSELING WEEK.

       (a) Sense of the Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate 
     that the President should designate the week of February 7 
     through February 11, 2005, as ``National School Counseling 
     Week''.
       (b) Proclamation.--The Senate requests the President to 
     issue a proclamation--
       (1) designating the week of February 7 through February 11, 
     2005, as ``National School Counseling Week''; and
       (2) calling on the people of the United States and 
     interested groups 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 to prepare students for fulfilling lives as 
     contributing members of society.

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