Recognizing National School Counseling Week
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. SANCHEZ. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the tireless work of school counselors across the country and in the 38th district of California that I am honored to represent. These public servants help develop well-rounded students by guiding them through their academic, social-emotional, and career development.
Humberto Solorio, a counselor at California High School in Whittier, California, is exactly the type of champion students need. Humberto has been a counselor at the school for eighteen years and has been instrumental in the lives of the students he works with in the school and its Business Academy.
He is also a Program Lead for the school's Fresh Air Mentoring program, which is a new creative and strategic intervention program at California High School. The program provides support to at-promise male students. Humberto, along with a team of counselors and teachers, help these students by teaching healthy coping strategies, planning for life after high school, and building authentic and genuine relationships.
Counselors, like Humberto, provide so much for our students. Not only do they help with career and college choices, but they are often the ones who help students cope with serious and common challenges of growing up, including peer pressure, bullying, mental health issues, trauma, disciplinary problems, and more. Unfortunately, the average student-counselor-ratio is 442-to-1 nationally which is almost double the American School Counselor Association recommended ratio of 250-to- 1. Our students deserve to have the support of school counselors, and school counselors deserve our support.
That is why I am proud to introduce a resolution to designate the week of February 3, 2020, through February 7, 2020, as National School Counseling Week. I ask that all Members join me in recognizing the extraordinary work and dedication our school counselors have done to better the lives of young students.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source