President's Letter: Proud to Serve You

The more time I spend getting to know the school counseling profession, the more I come to know how important it is that ALL students have access to a school counselor throughout their PK–12th grade education. School counselors are in a critically important position to help students break down barriers and gain access to college; help students learn skills to successfully navigate social situations and advocate for their rights; and help students build a strong academic profile. Because school counselors are some of the only school professionals who have access to a wide variety of information regarding students, they can often be the missing link that helps propel students forward to future success.

As president of the Illinois School Counselor Association, I first thank and acknowledge all of the school counselors out there doing this work, advocating for students and families, creating partnerships with staff and community members and working toward systemic change in our schools. And I especially acknowledge all of you who work with caseloads well beyond the 250:1 ratio that is recommended by the American School Counselor Association, and all those working in communities where resources are scarce. During these unprecedented times, I sincerely thank all of you for your hard work and dedication to students and families throughout our state.

We at the Illinois School Counseling Association are proud to serve you. We are continuing with our monthly webinars to offer professional development support based on current events and trends. We are busy planning our first-ever virtual state conference. It is important to us that we make our conference a success by creating spaces not only to learn, but also to connect, celebrate and have some fun! If you have not yet registered, you can register here on our conference page.

We are also honored to share the great work that the Illinois School Counseling Association has been doing to ensure that we are implementing equitable and anti-racist practices both within the association and for members. We have successfully launched our first-ever ISCA Race & Equity Steering Committee and are in the process of reviewing a first draft of a three-day ISCA Race & Equity Credential that will be launched this spring, FREE to members.

The Illinois School Counseling Association has also been preparing for a disaffiliation vote from ICA, which took place in late October. Here is our ISCA Board Joint Statement:  It is our unanimous position that the ISCA Board supports disaffiliation and will individually vote “yes” to disaffiliation. We the ISCA Board value the historic and foundational relationship with ICA and wish to always continue to support and foster such. Voting “yes” to disaffiliation supports the strategic vision for our professional organization and will support the goal of increasing the direct support and growth of the school counselors across the State of Illinois.

So much is happening at ISCA, and all good things! We are excited about the work and direction of this organization. As always, we are so proud to serve you. If you ever have any questions or would like to get involved, feel free to reach out to me.

Contact Kirsten Perry, ISCA president, at president@ilschoolcounselor.org.