THE GOVERNMENT RELATIONS AND ADVOCACY COMMITTEE (GRAC)
The Government Relations and Advocacy Committee strives to keep the school counseling community connected with important legislative news, updates, and announcements that impact the profession. Additionally, the committee assists in providing advocacy tools and information for school counselors to utilize in order to support the school counseling profession.
EVENTS
Governor Maura Healey has proclaimed February 5th through 9th, 2024 to be School Counseling Week, the first formal recognition of this national celebration within the Commonwealth.The proclamation focuses public attention on the unique contribution of school counselors within the school systems and how students are different as a result of what school counselors do. School Counseling Week highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career.
In the proclamation, Governor Healey cited school counselors for being actively engaged in helping students examine their abilities, strengths, interests and talents; for working in a partnership with parents as they encounter the challenges of raising children in today’s world; for focusing on positive ways to enhance students’ academic, career and social/emotional development; and working with teachers and other educators to provide an educational system where students can realize their potential and set healthy, realistic and optimistic aspirations for themselves. School counselors are certified, experienced educators with a master’s degree in school counseling. The combination of their training and experience makes them an integral part of the total educational program.
PAST EVENTS:
April 14, 2021 - On April 14th, during the The Role of the School Counselor in the Post-COVID Era: Turning Advocacy into Action event, MASCA members came together to advocate on behalf of school counselors in meetings with several staff members of Massachusetts senators and representatives, including Senator Jason Lewis, Chair of the Joint Committee on Education.
March 3, 2021 - MASCA co-hosted an Advocacy 101 event with the Massachusetts School Nurse Organization, the Massachusetts School Psychologists Association, and Tremont Strategies Group. We reviewed the lifecycle of a bill and how to become stronger advocates in our day to day lives. You may still access copies of the recording and presentation.
April 20, 2020 - GRAC Chair, April Megginson, and committee member, Juliette Coatsworth, presented on 5 Tips to Advocate for Your School Counseling Program via a webinar. You may still access copies of the recording (password: 8Y^7G585) and presentation.
Please keep in mind that because the ASCA website was updated in late 2020, several of the links used in the presentation from April 20th, 2020 are not correct any longer. Please refer to the “Advocacy Resources” section below for the indicated resources.
February 4, 2020 - MASCA co-hosted the Be the Change: Advocacy and Leadership Workshop on Tuesday, February 4, 2020. We had over 30 participants in attendance and visited with over 17 different legislators to talk about the invaluable role of the school counselor. Join us next year to learn more about how to advocate at the state legislative level. Check out some images below from the event.MASCA SUPPORTED LEGISLATION
BILL H.465: An Act Establishing A Comprehensive School Counseling Program.
In partnership with ASCA, we have a convenient form to help advocate for bill H.465 directly to your legislators. It can take as little as two minutes to complete! This generated message speaks to the general trends across MA and how bill H.465 addresses them, though you are strongly encouraged to speak to local district concerns related to school counselors and student/community trends.
If you want to include more specific information, or if there is a follow-up conversation, please check out the campaign guide we put together for quick reference of relevant topics, data, and messaging advice.
Help us make a difference today. Together, we can make our voices heard and secure a school counselor for every student in Massachusetts.
CONNECTING WITH YOUR STATE LEGISLATORS
In order to make a difference at the policy level, we need to communicate with all stakeholders about our role as a school counselor as well as advocate for the needs of our students. It is important to build connections with our legislators as well as the legislators for the school community that we work in. There are a number of ways to do that.
1.CONTACTYOUR DISTRICT HOUSE REPRESENTATIVE AND SENATOR
Start building a relationship with the state House Representative and Senator who represent your district. You can come visit them at the State House or locally at one of their district meetings. Introduce yourself; educate them on the important role of the school counselor; share some of your success stories as well as some of the concerns that you have for your student population; and let them know about any pending legislation that is important to you.
2.INVITEYOUR SCHOOL'S HOUSE REPRESENTATIVE AND SENATOR
Feel free to invite your school's house representative and senator to special events that you have at your school such as Career Fairs, Scholarship Award Nights, etc. This is an awesome way to showcase the role of the school counselor, for them to see first-hand the wonderful and hard work that you do, and for them to connect with their community.
To find contact information for your state Senator or House Representative:www.malegislature.gov
LEGISLATION IMPACTING SCHOOL COUNSELORS
ASCA’S Legislative Affairshas an updatedlist of current issuesimpacting school counselors. To sign up for alerts and take action on the ESSCP and other legislation, clickhere.
The Massachusetts Teachers Associationhas severallegislative prioritiesthat directly impact education, therefore impacting school counselors. These initiatives span from advocating for fully funded, sage, and diverse public k-12 schools to ensuring dignified retirement. To urge your legislators to support the MTA’s legislative agenda,click here.
ADVOCACY RESOURCES
POSITION STATEMENTS
The American School Counseling Association (ASCA) has developed a number of research-based position statements that represent ASCA’s official position on a variety of school related topics. These position statements can be utilized to clarify the role of the school counselor and to inform school counseling practice for school counselors to utilize with parents, administration, and stakeholders. Currently, there are 52 statements that are updated approximately every five years and are available on theASCA website.
| Massachusetts School Counselors Association, Inc. |
MASCA deeply values its diverse membership and is fully committed to creating an organization where each individual is welcomed, included, respected and empowered. No person will be excluded from MASCA on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, political affiliation or military status, or for any other discriminatory reason. These activities include, but are not limited to, appointment of its Governing Board, hiring or firing of staff, selection of volunteers and vendors, and the providing of services. This policy is fundamental to the effective functioning of MASCA as an organization that supports counselors and promotes equity in our schools, districts and the Commonwealth.