Utah: Educators call for more counselors in schools; UT House to address matter

Feb 5, 2018, Salt Lake City, Deseret News: Bill to create grant program for elementary school counselors gets committee nod https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900009518/bill-to-create-grant-program-for-elementary-school-counselors-gets-committee-nod.html The House Education Committee endorsed legislation Monday that would authorize the Utah State Board of Education to award matching grants to increase numbers of counselors in Utah elementary schools. Rep Steve Eliason, R-Sandy, sponsor of HB264, noted Utah's growing rates of suicide among youths ages 10 to 17. The youngest child to end their life last year was 11 years old, he said. "I think starting a little earlier in elementary school (providing more counselors) is key to getting ahead of this situation," Eliason said. … The difference maker, she said, was a trusted adult taking an interest in them when they were acting out in elementary school or middle school. HB264 "falls into a prevention category of many problems we're seeing in society," she said. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Sydnee Dickson said the legislation does not create a new program but seeks to expand numbers of school counselors in elementary schools. It is a priority of the State School Board, she said. School counselors work with teachers to come up with positive behavior supports for students who are struggling with behavioral issues or anxiety…. But as Dickson visited schools across the state this fall during her "listening tour," educators throughout Utah remarked on the need for more counseling support in schools. … The committee adopted an amendment that requires the State School Board to provide training that instructs educators on the impact of trauma on student learning, "including information advising educators against practicing