Florida Senate - 2021 SB 624
By Senator Bracy
11-00808-21 2021624__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to guidance services; amending s.
3 1006.025, F.S.; requiring each district school board
4 to require certified school counselors to advise
5 public high school students of opportunities to gain
6 skills in demand in the labor market and how to
7 prepare to obtain postsecondary degrees in technical
8 fields; requiring such advice to be given at least
9 once per academic year before public high school
10 students select courses for the subsequent academic
11 year; specifying information that must be included in
12 the advice; authorizing the staff of other student
13 personnel services to give the advice if there are
14 insufficient certified school counselors to do so;
15 requiring the Department of Education to provide
16 resources to district school boards which may assist
17 districts in offering the advice; providing an
18 effective date.
19
20 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
21
22 Section 1. Section 1006.025, Florida Statutes, is amended
23 to read:
24 1006.025 Guidance services.—
25 (1)(a) Each district school board shall require certified
26 school counselors to advise students attending public high
27 schools of opportunities to gain skills in demand in the labor
28 market and how to prepare to obtain postsecondary degrees in
29 technical fields.
30 (b) Certified school counselors shall give the advice
31 required by this subsection at least once per academic year
32 before public high school students select courses for the
33 subsequent academic year. The advice must include the following
34 information:
35 1. Apprenticeship and preapprenticeship programs offered
36 pursuant to chapter 446;
37 2. Dual enrollment programs offered pursuant to s.
38 1007.271;
39 3. Career and professional academies and career-themed
40 courses available pursuant to s. 1003.493;
41 4. Opportunities at local school district technical
42 centers;
43 5. Opportunities to gain an internship; and
44 6. The Career and Technical Education pathway to earn a
45 standard high school diploma pursuant to s. 1003.4282(11) and
46 all opportunities to earn credits toward the pathway.
47 (c) If an insufficient number of certified school
48 counselors is available to give the advice required by this
49 subsection, then the staff of other student personnel services
50 as defined in s. 1012.01(2)(b) may give the advice.
51 (2) Each district school board shall annually submit a
52 district guidance report to the Commissioner of Education by
53 June 30.
54 (3)(2) The guidance report shall include, but not be
55 limited to, the following:
56 (a) Examination of student access to certified school
57 counselors.
58 (b) Degree to which a district has adopted or implemented a
59 guidance model program.
60 (c) Evaluation of the information and training available to
61 certified school counselors and career specialists to advise
62 students on areas of critical need, labor market trends, and
63 technical training requirements.
64 (d) Progress toward incorporation of best practices for
65 advisement as identified by the department.
66 (e) Consideration of alternative guidance systems or ideas,
67 including, but not limited to, a teacher-advisor model,
68 mentoring, partnerships with the business community, web-based
69 delivery, and parental involvement.
70 (f) A guidance plan for the district.
71 (4)(3) The department shall provide resources to district
72 school boards that may assist districts in offering the advice
73 required by subsection (1) and preparing the annual guidance
74 report. The resources shall include, but are not limited to,
75 materials relating to guidance model programs, training
76 available through the department for career guidance, adopted
77 best practices, alternative guidance systems or ideas, and a
78 model district guidance plan.
79 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021.