I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 614 
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to create 
a demonstration project to fund additional secondary school counselors 
in troubled title I schools to reduce the dropout rate. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 28, 2021 
Ms. SA´NCHEZ (for herself and Mrs. HAYES) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 
A BILL 
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
of 1965 to create a demonstration project to fund addi-
tional secondary school counselors in troubled title I 
schools to reduce the dropout rate. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Put School Counselors 
Where They’re Needed Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. DEMONSTRATION PROJECT FOR ADDITIONAL SEC-
ONDARY SCHOOL COUNSELORS. 
Part D of title I of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6421 et seq.) is amend-
ed by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘Subpart 4—Demonstration Project for Additional 
Secondary School Counselors 
‘‘SEC. 1441. FINDINGS. 
‘‘The Congress finds the following: 
‘‘(1) Nationally, only 85 percent of students 
graduate from high school with a regular high school 
diploma. 
‘‘(2) Every school year, 523,000 American high 
school students drop out without earning a high 
school diploma or an alternative credential. 
‘‘(3) Only about 67 percent of American stu-
dents with limited English proficiency graduated on 
time from high school. 
‘‘(4) Only about 79 percent of Black students, 
81 percent of Hispanic students, and 74 percent of 
American Indian/Alaska Native students graduate 
on time from high school with a regular diploma, 
compared to 89 percent of White students and 92 
percent of Asian/Pacific Islander students. 
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‘‘(5) Only about 67 percent of American stu-
dents with disabilities graduated on time from high 
school. 
‘‘(6) High school is the final transition into 
adulthood and the world of work as students begin 
defining their independence and forging their own 
pathways. As our next generation of leaders, our 
youth, are deciding their futures, they are faced with 
many challenges, including peer pressure and bul-
lying, high-stakes testing, the challenges of college 
admissions, the scholarship and financial aid appli-
cation process, and entrance into an ever more com-
petitive job market. Students need guidance and 
skills to help them navigate these complex decisions, 
which have serious and life changing consequences. 
‘‘(7) School counseling programs are essential 
for students to achieve optimal personal growth, ac-
quire positive social skills and values, set appropriate 
career goals, and realize full academic potential to 
become productive, contributing members of the 
world community. 
‘‘(8) Professional secondary school counselors 
are highly qualified educators with a mental health 
perspective who understand and respond to the chal-
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lenges presented by today’s diverse student popu-
lation. 
‘‘(9) The professional secondary school coun-
selor holds a master’s degree or higher in school 
counseling (or the substantial equivalent), and is 
certified or licensed by the State in which the coun-
selor works. 
‘‘(10) Professional secondary school counselors 
are integral to the total educational program. They 
provide proactive leadership that engages all stake-
holders in the delivery of programs and services to 
help the student achieve success in school. Profes-
sional secondary school counselors align and work 
with the school’s mission to support the academic 
achievement of all students as they prepare for the 
ever-changing world of the 21st century. 
‘‘(11) Professional secondary school counselors’ 
opportunities to assist students are often hindered 
by extraordinarily high student-to-counselor ratios. 
Currently, the average student-to-counselor ratio in 
America’s public schools is 430 to 1. The American 
School Counselor Association, the American Coun-
seling Association, and the National Association for 
College Admissions Counseling all recommend a 
ratio of one school counselor to 250 students and a 
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lower ratio for counselors working primarily with 
students at risk. 
‘‘SEC. 1442. DEMONSTRATION PROJECT. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—From amounts made available to 
carry out this subpart, the Secretary shall carry out a 
demonstration project under which the Secretary makes 
grants on a competitive basis to secondary schools that 
receive funds under this title and have a four-year ad-
justed cohort graduation rate of 60 percent or lower. 
‘‘(b) GRANTS.—A grant under this subpart shall be 
for a period of 4 years and may be used— 
‘‘(1) to provide additional school counselors 
during that period; and 
‘‘(2) to provide additional resources (such as 
professional development expenses or travel expenses 
for home visits, and any services and materials re-
ferred to in subsection (d)) and to pay overhead ex-
penses. 
‘‘(c) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that a participating school should aim to provide, 
under subsection (b)(1), one additional counselor per 250 
students at risk. 
‘‘(d) SCOPE OF COUNSELING.—The additional school 
counselors shall identify students who are at risk of not 
graduating in 4 years and shall provide counseling pri-
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marily to those students. The counselors may identify such 
students at any time, but shall strive to identify them be-
fore they enter grade 9. Services shall be provided as long 
as necessary, including to the extent allowable and appro-
priate, after the student’s cohort graduation date. The 
counseling provided— 
‘‘(1) may include a full panoply of services, in-
cluding an individual graduation plan and other re-
sources, such as appropriate course placement and 
supplemental services (to include not only supple-
mental educational services tutoring if available at 
the school site, but also other tutoring as necessary, 
along with supplemental books and materials); and 
‘‘(2) shall include meetings with each student so 
identified and with the teachers, tutors, supple-
mental educational services providers, and parents of 
the student, and may also include meetings with 
other relevant individuals, such as a probation offi-
cer, mentor, coach, or employer of the student. 
‘‘(e) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—Funds under 
this subpart shall be used to supplement, not supplant, 
funds from non-Federal sources. The additional school 
counselors provided through funds under this subpart 
must be in addition to any employees who work in the 
secondary school guidance or counseling office, such as 
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