GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1991

H	1 

HOUSE BILL 92*

Short Title:  School Counselor Services.	(Public)
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Sponsors: Representatives Beard; Fletcher, H. Hunter, Jeralds, Luebke, Mercer, Privette, and Warner.
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Referred to:  Education.
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February 18, 1991

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO REQUIRE SCHOOL PRINCIPALS TO LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF TIME A SCHOOL COUNSELOR IS ASSIGNED TO NONCOUNSELING DUTIES.
Whereas, the General Assembly recognizes the importance of having school guidance counselors available to talk with students about their concerns and to help them identify positive solutions; and
Whereas, the General Assembly is aware that school counselors are often called upon to assist troubled students and their families; and
Whereas, the General Assembly recognizes that school counselors are often assigned duties that are administrative or clerical in nature, that are not directly related to counseling, and that consume time that would be more effectively spent providing direct services to students; and
Whereas, the General Assembly finds that in order to achieve maximum effectiveness of school counselors' time and expertise many nonguidance related duties should be assigned to other school personnel; Now, therefore,
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  G.S. 115C-288 reads as rewritten:
"§ 115C-288. Powers and duties of principal.
(a)	To Grade and Classify Pupils. – The principal shall have authority to grade and classify pupils.
(b)	To Make Accurate Reports to the Superintendent and to the Local Board. – The principal shall make all reports to the superintendent. Every principal of a public school shall make such reports as are required by the boards of education, and the superintendent shall not approve the vouchers for the pay of principals until the required monthly and annual reports are made: Provided, that the superintendents may require teachers to make reports to the principals and principals to make reports to the superintendent: Provided further, that any principal or supervisor who knowingly and willfully makes or procures another to make any false report or records, requisitions, or payrolls, respecting daily attendance of pupils in the public schools, payroll data sheets, or other reports required to be made to any board or officer in the performance of his duties, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be fined or imprisoned in the discretion of the court and the certificate of such person to teach in the public schools of North Carolina shall be revoked by the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
(c)	To Improve Instruction and Community Spirit. – The principal shall give suggestions to teachers for the improvement of instruction.
(d)	To Conduct Fire Drills and Inspect for Fire Hazards. – It shall be the duty of the principal to conduct a fire drill during the first week after the opening of school and thereafter at least one fire drill each school month, in each building in his charge, where children are assembled. Fire drills shall include all pupils and school employees, and the use of various ways of egress to simulate evacuation of said buildings under various conditions, and such other regulations as shall be prescribed for fire safety by the Commissioner of Insurance, the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the State Board of Education. A copy of such regulations shall be kept posted on the bulletin board in each building.
It shall be the duty of each principal to inspect each of the buildings in his charge at least twice each month during the regular school session. This inspection shall include cafeterias, gymnasiums, boiler rooms, storage rooms, auditoriums and stage areas as well as all classrooms. This inspection shall be for the purpose of keeping the buildings safe from the accumulation of trash and other fire hazards.
It shall be the duty of the principal to file two copies of a written report once each month during the regular school session with the superintendent of his local school administrative unit, one copy of which shall be transmitted by the superintendent to the chairman of the local board of education. This report shall state the date the last fire drill was held, the time consumed in evacuating each building, that the inspection has been made as prescribed by law and such other information as is deemed necessary for fire safety by the Commissioner of Insurance, the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the State Board of Education.
It shall be the duty of the principal to minimize fire hazards pursuant to the provisions of G.S. 115C-525.
(e)	To Discipline Students and to Assign Duties to Teachers with Regard to the Discipline, General Well-being, and Medical Care of Students. – The principal shall have authority to exercise discipline over the pupils of the school pursuant to policies adopted by the local board of education as prescribed by G.S. 115C-391(a). The principal shall use reasonable force to discipline students and shall assign duties to teachers with regard to the general well-being and the medical care of students pursuant to the provisions of G.S. 115C-307 and 115C-390. The principal also may suspend or dismiss pupils pursuant to the provisions of G.S. 115C-391.
(f)	To Protect School Property. – The principal shall protect school property as provided in G.S. 115C-523.
(g)	To Ensure That School Counselors Spend the Majority of Their Time on Counseling Services. – The principal shall limit the amount of time that school counselors are assigned to noncounseling duties so as to ensure that school counselors reserve at least ninety-five percent (95%) of their time for direct services to students and for guidance-related administrative services."
Sec. 2.  This act is effective upon ratification and shall apply beginning with the 1991-92 school year.