National School Counseling Week

February 1 – 5, 2021 is National School Counseling Week. Our School Counselors are critical to the success of our schools on an ongoing basis, and are needed more than ever as we navigate the pandemic. We encourage PTAs to use this opportunity to thank our hard-working counselors for everything they do for our children, as well as to help elevate the importance of the profession and advocate for more resources in our schools.

How can your PTA help?

  • Drop off flowers or treats for our school counselor(s) to show your appreciation.
  • Write cards of encouragement and thanks, and encourage students and other families to do the same.
  • Ask your school to include one or more of these announcements on the morning news.
  • Share promotions on social media using #NSCW21.
    • Post a picture of your School Counselor and ask families to share their appreciation in the comments on the post. Since most volunteers are not able to enter campus at this time, you could ask a school employee to take a picture for you, or you may have a picture from before COVID you can use.
    • Use this image as your PTA Facebook page cover and this image as your profile picture for the week.
    • This promotional toolkit contains sample posts you can easily copy and paste.
  • Use this image as your Zoom background if you have any PTA or school meetings this week.
  • Promote the Alachua County Public Schools page, which provides a place to recognize your School Counselor as well as links to mental health and wellness resources within our schools.
  • Other parent resources
  • Other social media images:

Advocacy Resources

The role of School Counselors has changed significantly in recent years. Their primary purpose is to ensure student success through academic strategies and social emotional learning, and to assist with postsecondary options. However, many of them now spend a significant amount of time on paperwork and the administration of standardized tests.

According to the American School Counselor Association, the recommended ratio of students to school counselors 250:1. In other words, there should be one school counselor for every 250 students in each school. In 2018/2019, the average ratio in Florida was 459:1. The ratio in Alachua County that year was 450:1.

Recent increases in state funding for mental health have allowed our county to hire additional coordinators at the district level. The district also partners with local organizations such as Meridian and the University of Florida to provide supplemental resources. But, that isn’t enough. Our children’s mental health needs to be a higher priority for funding within our state.

Your PTA can help in the following ways:

  • Meet with your School Counselor(s) to learn what resources your school currently has, and what else is needed. Ask what PTA can do to assist them. Communicate this information with ACCPTA as well, so we can include it in our district and statewide advocacy efforts.
  • Contact your state legislators and ask for more resources to support mental health in our schools. Enter your address here to find out who your state Senator and Representative is.
  • If you have other ideas or want to get involved in further advocacy about this topic, contact ACCPTA.

Making School Staff a Priority for the COVID Vaccine

ACCPTA sent the following letter to Governor DeSantis on January 29, 2021 to request that school staff be given priority for the COVID-19 vaccine;

PTA’s mission is to make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate* for all children. The Alachua County Council of PTA’s (ACCPTA) is an all-volunteer organization that strives to carry out this mission in Alachua County through advocacy, leadership training, and support for our school-based PTA units.

As Florida’s largest volunteer child advocacy association, the welfare and education of children and their families is our top priority. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly altered the academic experience for Florida’s students, educators and other school personnel. While we recognize that in-person learning is best for most students, we acknowledge that the pandemic is keeping that from becoming a reality for many families. We appreciate you and Commissioner Corcoran providing families with flexible school choices this school year to help families remain safe.

We also appreciate your efforts to expedite vaccine distribution so that all Floridians can look forward to a day when COVID no longer impacts the way we live and work. We join superintendents, school board members, teachers and other educators across the state in requesting that all school personnel, (including educators, administrators, custodians, bus drivers and paraprofessionals), be given priority for vaccine distribution. This will ultimately help our children and our community for the following reasons:

  • Teachers are essential in delivering the instruction that impacts the learning experience for children, both through in-person and digital environments. They cannot effectively do this if they have contracted COVID. 
  • Protecting teachers and school personnel will ensure continuity of learning for students and help mitigate further academic decline resulting from the pandemic.
  • The CDC considers school personnel to be at increased risk for contracting the virus and has requested that states place teachers in high priority for the vaccine.
  • Vaccine distribution for children will take place later than the adult population for many reasons, and therefore it’s important to prioritize the school staff who come into contact with children on a daily basis.

Thank you for considering our request.  We look forward to the opportunity to work with you to improve the lives and education of all of Florida’s children.

*National PTA positions that support healthy schools:
Elements of Comprehensive Health Programs
Safe and Supportive Schools
Distance and Remote Learning for K-12 Students
Re-opening of Schools for 2020/2021