Have you checked on your board policy? Most districts publish their board policy online. Board policy is organized around topics in alignment with the Texas Education Code. The individual policy has an abbreviation code such as FFEA. It's also common to see both a legal version and a local version of a particular policy. Both are important to review.
As a school counselor, it's important to be familiar with a few specific board policies. We recommend you look up the following:
FFEA: Comprehensive School Counseling
- Explains the required domains of school counseling programs
- Clarifies consent for counseling services
FFB: Crisis Intervention
- Process for responding to threats
- Provides information about notifications and communication
FFEB: Mental Health Education
- Defines a "mental health condition"
- Provides limitations on treatment and referrals
- Clarifies requirements for educating students and parents
- Provides guidance on reporting to Child Protective Services and other authorities
FFBA: Trauma Informed Care
- Explains staff training and implementation strategies
- States requirements for raising awareness of the issue for parents
EHAA: Basic Instructional Program
- Requires instruction in mental health (including instruction about mental health conditions, substance abuse, skills to manage emotions, establishing and maintaining positive relationships, and responsible decision-making) and suicide prevention
- States requirements for instruction in positive character traits and personal skills
There are many other important board policies such as FFH, EIF, and DP. We also encourage you to check out the article below from TASB's online resource site.