| Metropolitan School District of Decatur Township |
| Bylaws & Policies |
2411 - GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING
The Board of School Trustees requires that a planned program of guidance and counseling be an integral part of the educational program of the District. Such a program should:
| A. | assist students in achieving educational goals; | |
| B. | enable students to draw benefit from the offerings of the instructional program of the schools; | |
| C. | aid students in identifying options and making choices in vocational and academic course areas; | |
| D. | assist students in career awareness and planning; | |
| E. | help integrate all the student's experience so that s/he can better relate school activity to life outside the school; | |
| F. | help students learn to make their own decisions and solve problems independently; | |
| G. | assist students with mental health or addiction concerns. |
A program of guidance and/or counseling shall be offered to all students and shall:
| A. | be limited to the services of a professional staff of fully certificated guidance personnel; | |
| B. | include the services of professional guidance personnel and other designated faculty and staff members who provide employment counseling and placement services to students who do not intend to enroll in an institution of higher learning after graduation or desire employment in conjunction with their continued education; | |
| C. | include the possibility of a referral to a community mental health center (CMHC) or a provider certified or licensed by the division of mental health and addiction. Any such referral shall be made pursuant to a memorandum of understanding between the District and the CMHC or provider and with the written consent of the student’s parent or guardian. If a referral is made, the referral may be noted in the student’s cumulative record but may not include a possible diagnosis or information regarding the student’s mental health, other than medication(s) taken. All student records containing medical information shall be kept confidential. A school counselor or other District employee shall not diagnose a student as having a mental health condition unless the individual's scope of practice includes diagnosing a mental health condition. |
The Superintendent is directed to implement the counseling and guidance program which carries out these purposes and:
| A. | involves appropriate staff members at every level; | |
| B. | honors the individuality of each student; | |
| C. | integrates with the total educational program; | |
| D. | coordinates with available resources of the community; | |
| E. | cooperates with parents and recognizes their concern and ideas for the development of their children; | |
| F. | provides means for such sharing of information among such appropriate staff members as may be in the best interests of the student; | |
| G. | provides an appropriate amount of time and effort shall be given to providing guidance and counseling services to those students sixteen (16) to nineteen (19) years of age who do not intend to enroll in an institution of higher education after graduating from high school or who require or desire employment in connection with their continued education; | |
| H. | establishes a referral system which utilizes all the aid the schools and community offer, guards the privacy of the student, and monitors the effectiveness of such referrals. |
A student's guidance counselor, in consultation with the student and his/her parent, will review the student's career plan annually to determine if the student is progressing toward fulfillment of the plan.
I.C. 20-30-4-6
I.C. 20-34-3-21
511 I.A.C. 4-1-5
© Neola 2015