Photo courtesy of Rodnae Productions / Pexels

This month I have been busy working with individuals across the nation to take a close look at school counselors and their associations with the American School Counselor Association.

In September, I located some information of concern directly on the ASCA website. The association stated that it isn’t required to obtain informed consent from parents—a statement which has subsequently been removed from the website. Fortunately, I was able to grab screenshots before it was removed from ASCA’s site.

This made me question which counselors currently employed by our local school systems are affiliated with the ASCA. On the Tennessee Department of Education website, there is a Tennessee Comprehensive School Counseling Model listed. Oddly, when you click on the link to “national standards from school counseling professional organizations,” the site states that it has changed its name, been removed, or is not available. Interestingly, ASCA appears to be in the web address, though.

It does indeed appear that Tennessee schools are aligned with ASCA. It is also worth noting that the Tennessee School Counselor Association is an affiliated charter of the American School Counselor Association. There is no doubt that Tennessee schools have employed ASCA-affiliated teachers and counselors within its systems.

After perusing the ASCA Facebook page, I noticed that they have posted “now hiring ads” for Tennessee school districts.

The ASCA has division charters in all 50 states and appears to be setting the standards, offering training and actively recruiting school counselors and other professionals serving students all over the U.S.

Some parents are asking their school districts hard questions about the ASCA and its affiliation with them and they aren’t getting answers. Why are school systems avoiding this discussion?

Let’s take a look at who and what the ASCA really is.

Directly from its website (before it was removed), the ASCA stated it provides Culturally Responsive Instruction, appraisal and advisement to students. Its 2022 Annual Conference hosted sessions (including, but not limited to) titled: Anti-Racism Starts With Us, Become an LGBTQ Inclusive School, Legal and Ethical Considerations-Student Surveys, Equity in Action Through Systemic Change, Support Transgender and Gender Expansive Students, Anti Racism Perspectives, and Build and Repair Relationships with Restorative Justice.

“School counselors need to continue to enhance knowledge and awareness of prejudice, power and various forms of oppression and utilize culturally responsive skills to support ever-changing student needs,” according to the 2022 ASCA Ethical Standards. In support of students, school counselors implement “equitable academic, career and social/emotional developmental opportunities for all students.”

It is an “expectation, not the exception” for school counselors to integrate multiculturalism and social justice perspectives into their work as advocates and leaders, the School Counselor and Cultural Diversity section of the ASCA Position Statements continues.

Furthermore, the ASCA also believes that parents do not have a right to the knowledge of their child’s preferred gender identity.

“This right to privacy and prohibition of disclosing students’ gender identity extends to students’ parents/guardians, with whom schools should work collaboratively, directed by students’ comfort about what and with whom to share their confidential information.”

The organization says that students can use restrooms and locker rooms according to the gender of which they identify.

“Students have the right to use restrooms and locker rooms matching their gender identity,” according to The School Counselor and Transgender and Nonbinary Youth position statement. “Transgender and nonbinary students have a FERPA-protected right to privacy; this extends to students’ gender identity, birth name, sex assigned at birth and medical history. Schools must make every effort to only reveal information about students’ gender identity when others have a legitimate educational purpose, which does not include mitigating the possible discomfort of others.”

The ASCA clearly seeks to usurp the authority of parents.

The ASCA has also teamed up with organizations including the National Education Association to endorse legislation that will help them to increase their numbers of school counselors, social workers and psychologists in all 50 states. Who would be footing the bill? Taxpayers, of course, will tote the note to help them spread their ideology.

The organizations aim to secure funding for mental health services providers to achieve the recommended student-to-staff ratios for school counselors, psychologists and social workers in all 50 states.

If you are a parent who is concerned with the agenda the ASCA is pushing on our nation’s children, I encourage you to first, remove your children from government schools, and secondly, expose what is going on and start demanding action. I urge parents across the nation to stop and consider what in loco parentis means.