House approves Steele bill to strengthen school counseling services
Rep. Mandy Steele April 29, 2026 | 3:25 PM
HARRISBURG, April 29 — The House today approved a bill sponsored by state Rep. Mandy Steele, D-Allegheny, to standardize and improve school counseling services for students in all grades in Pennsylvania schools by ensuring that counselors aren’t pulled away from their needed counseling duties.
House Bill 2218, the School Counseling Services Act, would require schools to have a written plan giving counselors enough time to provide students needed support without being diverted to cover other school duties. The bill ensures that trained school counselors can focus on providing social and emotional support as well as career planning for students.
Steele said that Pennsylvania is the only state in the nation that does not require standardized school counseling, which puts Pennsylvania students at a significant disadvantage.
“School counselors are doing hugely important work,” Steele said in House floor remarks. “They’re propelling students into becoming contributing members of society by providing critical guidance on the path beyond high school to universities, trade schools, careers.
“But the twist is that in many school districts in Pennsylvania, school counselors are constantly pulled away to act as subs, to cover other assignments such as lunch duty and hallway patrol, rendering them unavailable to students.”
House Bill 2218 reflects extensive feedback from education stakeholders over the past two legislative sessions, according to Steele.
The bill is now with the Senate for consideration.