Indiana Senate Bill Aims to Free Up School Counselors for Direct Student Services
State Sen. Jean Leising (R-Oldenburg) is determined to help school counselors across Indiana focus on what matters most: supporting students directly. Her new bill, following a similar effort last year, aims to minimize time spent on clerical duties and maximize their impact in major areas such as mental health and academic guidance.
The proposed legislation, initially introduced during last year’s session, passed by an overwhelming majority in the Indiana Senate. However, it stalled in the House of Representatives and did not progress. Now, Leising is revisiting the issue, joined by Sens. Sue Glick (R-LaGrange) and Vaneta Becker (R-Evansville), with new hope for its passage.
Boosting Direct Services
Under the proposed legislation, starting with the 2025 – 2026 school year, Indiana schools would be required to dedicate at least 60% of a school counselor’s time to providing direct services to students. This encompasses crucial areas like classroom instruction, helping students prepare for college and careers, preventing student dropouts, providing social and emotional support, and crafting personalized individual student plans.
Meeting Student Needs in a Challenging Time
“School counselors are trained to provide direct services to students, so it is unfair to them and their students to force them to spend a significant amount of their time on clerical work that could be handled by another staff member,” Leising emphasized. “This is especially important as we are dealing with a shortage of counselors and a burgeoning mental health crisis among the young people of this state.
The bill further increases that minimum to 80% in the 2027-2028 school year, emphasizing the growing need for student support services.
Protecting Flexibility for Smaller Districts
Leising’s initiative does include flexibility for schools with ample counseling resources. Schools maintaining a ratio of one counselor for every 350 students or fewer would be exempt from the stricter time requirements.
