A comprehensive school counseling program is essential to the success of students. The District’s comprehensive program is proactive and preventive in its focus and assists students in acquiring life-long learning skills. The program is developed around student needs and a core curriculum that focuses on academic skills, social-emotional development, and college and career readiness at various stages of student growth.

Student support staff work to remove barriers to learning and help children navigate through college and career planning. Student support staff support students’ development by monitoring academic progress, attendance, behavior, social-emotional well-being and growth, and college and career readiness awareness and planning. Student support staff collaborate with school psychologists, the attendance supervisor, the student assistance counselor, school nurses, teachers, administrators, parents, and outside agencies to support the whole child.

The District’s comprehensive school counseling program aligns with the New York State Education Department’s Every Students Succeeds Act (ESSA) to adopt a “Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child” multi-tiered model to promote positive school climates that, in turn, improve student outcomes. School climate is the way school culture affects a child’s sense of safety and acceptance, and consequently, is a critical determinant of their ability to focus on the task of learning.

In an effort to help increase opportunities for all students to be successful, the New York State Education Department amended the school counseling regulations, which went into effect July 1, 2019. To ensure that the District was in compliance with the new regulations, a team was formed to review the guidance documents, assess the program, and develop an updated comprehensive school counseling program and plan.