FULL-TIME SCHOOL COUNSELORS IN ALL SCHOOLS

WHEREAS, school counselors in public schools perform a wide range of duties to help students excel academically, develop resiliency, adjust socially, and cope with school-related and personal concerns or problems both in and out of school; and

WHEREAS, school counselors' duties can also include helping students who are bullied, intimidated or harassed in and around school to find nonviolent solutions to address such problems; and

WHEREAS, bullying in and around schools is a growing problem nationwide that involves students at all socioeconomic and academic levels and can result in students having low self-esteem and resorting to violence against their persecutors or other students; and

WHEREAS, some school districts do not currently mandate that elementary schools have school counselors, despite the proven benefits of having counselors work with such students; and

WHEREAS, successful student advocacy programs such as NYC Respect for All and the New York State Dignity for All Act call for a full-time school counselor in every school to support students and provide interventions for students to feel that they are safe and have a caring adult to help them cope with their problems; and

WHEREAS, hiring more school counselors at every level from elementary through high school would allow educators to devote more of their time to teaching and give counselors an opportunity to address student behavior in a direct and effective manner:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers will call for the adoption of policies to place full-time school counselors in all elementary, middle, junior high and high schools.