According to the Board of Regents agenda from the April 12 committee meeting, I am disappointed to see that the Master of Arts in Education for School Counseling along with the Standard Certification and Rank I in School Counseling were among the programs being recommended for suspension. Adding to the disappointment is the way that I learned of this information. I understand that due to the sensitivity and nature of the CAPE process, students were not included in the process. I do feel that I, as a student, should have been told that the program was seriously being considered for suspension by either the departmental faculty/staff and/or college dean. I am blessed to graduate this May with my MA.E for School Counseling; however, now I will be looking at other universities and colleges that offer standard certification and Rank I.

I am not aware if the passage of the “School Safety and Resiliency Act,” which was signed by the governor on March 11, 2019, was considered during the CAPE process. The “School Safety and Resiliency Act” could indicate a future increased need of school counselors across the state of Kentucky. According to Linda Tyree (outgoing President of Kentucky School Counseling Association) this act will require the placement of “a school counselor in every building at the American School Counselor Association recommended ratio of 1 to 250, devoting 60 percent of their (school counselors) time providing direct services to students.”

The bill clearly defines a “school counselor” as an individual who holds a valid school counseling certificate issued in accordance with the administrative regulations of the Education Professional Standards Board. This link will direct you to Linda Tyree’s article in the American School Counselor Association’s April 2019 newsletter.

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Signed a disappointed student and future WKU Alum,

Chad Hart

Editor’s Note: Among the programs that were recommended for suspension are a Master of Arts in Education in Counseling for Counseling and Student Affairs, as well as the Education Specialist in Counseling Education for Counseling and Student Affairs.