MS HB292

Establishes a four-year professional school counselors pilot program in three selected Mississippi school districts with high incidences of teenage pregnancy or school violence, running from 2017-2018 through 2020-2021 school years.

Requires the State Department of Education, State Department of Health, and Mississippi Department of Human Services to jointly select the three participating districts based on teen pregnancy and school violence rates, dropout rates, alternative school placements, and demographic factors.

Mandates participating school districts place a minimum of one professional school counselor in each school to provide comprehensive counseling services including academic, personal/social, career, crisis intervention, and conflict resolution services.

Prohibits school counselors in the pilot program from counseling students that abortion can be used to prevent birth.

Requires the State Department of Education to submit a report by January 1, 2021 to legislative education committees with comparative data on pregnancies and school violence in participating districts and a recommendation on whether to implement the program statewide.