AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 37-9-79, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO DELETE THE PROVISION THAT REQUIRES PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL COUNSELORS TO ABIDE BY THE AMERICAN SCHOOL COUNSELOR ASSOCIATION CODE OF ETHICS; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
Summary
House Bill 1011 amends Section 37-9-79 of the Mississippi Code to remove the statutory requirement that professional school counselors abide by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Code of Ethics. The bill leaves in place the existing framework for counselor assignment, qualifications, and duties, including the requirement that counselors provide comprehensive counseling services such as academic, career, personal/social, crisis, and referral services, and that they spend at least 80% of their contractual time on direct student services as described in the statute.
The practical effect of the bill is narrow but significant: it deletes a specific professional ethics mandate tied to a national counseling organization while preserving the rest of the counselor standards already in state law. The bill would take effect July 1, 2026, and would continue to allow the State Department of Education to adopt regulations governing counselor activities so long as those rules are consistent with the statute.
Impact
HB1011 would amend Mississippi’s school counselor law by striking the requirement that professional school counselors comply with the American School Counselor Association Code of Ethics. This changes the legal obligations of counselors under state law by removing a reference to an external professional ethics code, but it does not alter the broader duties, qualifications, or time-allocation requirements already imposed on counselors in Section 37-9-79. School districts, counselors, and the State Department of Education would continue operating under the remaining statutory counseling-service requirements and any consistent regulations adopted by the department.
Sentiment
The available context suggests the bill is straightforward and limited in scope, with no recorded committee debate or vote history provided. Its caption indicates a targeted policy change focused on ethics requirements for school counselors, which suggests the bill is likely framed as a professional standards or local control issue rather than a broad overhaul of school counseling policy. Because there are no transcripts or votes, there is no documented public split in the provided materials, and the overall sentiment cannot be measured beyond the bill’s narrow, technical nature.
Contention
The main point of contention is the removal of the ASCA Code of Ethics requirement. Supporters may view this as reducing reliance on an outside professional association and giving the state more flexibility in defining counselor obligations, while opponents may see it as weakening ethical standards or removing a recognized professional benchmark. The bill does not otherwise change counselor staffing, qualifications, or service expectations, so any disagreement appears likely to center on whether Mississippi should continue to tie counselor conduct to the national ASCA ethics code.