Advocacy

URGENT! SB 525 is steps away from passing!

We need your help to protect school counseling in Montana. Senate Bill 525 is moving to the MT House of Representatives this week, and it poses a serious threat to school counselor positions across our state. The Senate passed this bill with strong support, voting 32-18 and 32-17 in its readings. This bill only needs to pass the House before it goes before the Governor. This is deeply concerning, and immediate action is needed.

What’s at Stake?

As the bill is currently written (3/18/25) SB 525 would allow school districts and public charter schools to hire chaplains—paid or volunteer—in place of trained school counselors. The only listed qualifications for chaplains are being 18 years old and of "good moral character." No training. No counseling credentials. Yet, they would be responsible for guiding students through complex struggles.

Even more alarming, the bill states: "A school district or a public charter school may engage a school chaplain instead of a school counselor to perform the duties required of a school counselor." If districts choose this route to cut costs, students will lose access to the comprehensive mental health and academic support that only qualified, licensed school counselors provide.

How MSCA is Fighting Back:

✅ Advocating directly – We have already written to House Education Committee members and encourage you to do the same. Be sure to use your personal email for this communication and do so outside of your contracted work hours.

DOWNLOAD A SAMPLE EMAIL HERE.

✅ Testifying – We provided testimony at the Senate Education and Cultural Resources Committee hearing on March 4 and will do so again as the bill progresses.

✅ Leveraging our strategic partnerships to amplify opposition and unify our advocacy efforts.

✅ Mobilizing our network – We’re reaching out to influential leaders and supporters who champion school counseling, urging them to lend their voices and advocacy.

Our Voices Alone Won’t Suffice – We Need Everyone!

✅ Email and/or call your representative, especially if they serve on the House Committee reviewing this bill (listed below). Hearing from their own constituents is incredibly powerful. Be sure to use your personal email/phone for this communication and do so outside of your contracted work hours. You can search for your district’s representative(s) here: https://www.legmt.gov/legislators/

✅ Sign up to testify or submit written comment. Prepare your statement so that it is ready to share when the opportunity arises. Written comment is currently being accepted on the Montana Legislative Services Public Participation website. (MSCA will do our best to alert members when the option to testify becomes available.)

This bill is set to take effect on July 1, 2025, if passed. Let’s work together to defend the integrity of our profession and ensure Montana students receive the qualified, evidence-based counseling services they deserve.

Montana House Education Committee: 

MSCA Advocacy Committee

Co-Chairs

The Advocacy Committee strives to keep the Montana 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.  

2025 MT Legislative Session

This upcoming legislative session has many bills related to education, mental health and human rights. To look up bills being introduced in the upcoming legislative session: https://leg.mt.gov/bill-info/look-up-bill/

If you are interested in the legislative process and want to be more involved with MSCA’s advocacy efforts, please contact the Advocacy Committee Chair. There are many ways to be involved ranging from low to high time commitment so please reach out if interested!

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.    

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. 

Look up a Montana Legislator:  https://leg.mt.gov/legislator-lookup/

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.   

Look up a Montana Legislator:  https://leg.mt.gov/legislator-lookup/

You can also choose to follow your legislators on Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter. This is a great way to keep yourself current on the things that are happening within your district as well as a way to continue to build a relationship with your legislators.   

National Legislation Impacting School Counselors

ASCA’S Legislative Affairs is an excellent resource to keep you updated on the current national legislation and court rulings impacting school counselors and the profession of school counseling.

Position Statements

The American School Counselor 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. They are also helpful in guiding your communications with school and community stakeholders when you are faced with an ethical dilemma. Currently, there are 52 statements that are updated approximately every five years and are available on the ASCA website.