Advocacy Letters

Mental Health Demonstration and Personnel Grants: ASCA, along with 24 state/territory school counselor associations, signed onto a letter in support of funding to address critical school mental health workforce shortages as part of the FY 2026 appropriations bill for the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. (June 2, 2025)

Firearm Research: ASCA signed on to a letter to congressional appropriators for fiscal year 2026 to provide $35 million for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, $25 million for the National Institutes of Health and $1 million for the National Institute of Justice to conduct public health research into firearm morbidity and mortality prevention. (May 20, 2025)

Education Innovation and Research: ASCA, as part of the Leading with Social Emotional Learning Coalition, sent a letter to the U.S. Senate and House Appropriations Committees urging continued funding for the Education Innovation and Research Program at $269 million for fiscal year 2026. (May 19, 2025)

RETAIN Act: ASCA signed on as a supporter for the Retaining Educators Takes Added Investment Now (RETAIN) Act introduced by Sens. Durbin (Ill.) and Smith (Minn.) and Reps. Schneider (Ill.-10) and Stevens (Mich.-11) during Teacher Appreciation Week. The RETAIN Act creates a fully refundable tax credit for teachers, paraprofessionals, school-based mental health providers and school leaders in Title I schools. (May 8, 2025)

Student Support and Academic Enrichment: ASCA signed onto a letter urging Congress to fund the Student Support and Academic Enrichment grant program under Title IV-A of ESSA at its authorized level of $1.6 billion. The Title IV-A flexible block grant supports well-rounded education, safe and healthy students, and the effective use of education technology. (May 6, 2025)

Non-Defense Discretionary Funds: ASCA joined more than 1,000 organizations on an FY25 NDD letter calling on Congress to fully appropriate the necessary non-defense discretionary funds to keep pace with rising costs. (June 25, 2024)

STOP School Violence Act: ASCA signed onto a letter to House appropriators to fund the STOP School Violence Act. (June 18, 2024)

Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Act: ASCA endorses the bicameral (Sen. Jeff Merkley and Rep. Katherine Clark) legislation, Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Act, which would increase the number of school counselors, school psychologists and school social workers in our nation’s schools. (May 23, 2024)

Title IV: ASCA, along with 180+ national, state and local organizations, signed on to a letter to urge U.S. House and Senate Appropriations Committees to provide $1.6 billion in fiscal year 2025 for the Student Support and Academic Enrichment grant program, known as Title IV-A, authorized under the Every Student Succeeds Act. (May 10, 2024)

Education Innovation and Research: ASCA, as part of the Leading with Social Emotional Learning Coalition, sent a letter to the U.S. Senate and House Appropriations Committees urging continued funding for the Education Innovation and Research program at $269 million for fiscal year 2025. (May 3, 2024)

Mental Health Grant Funding: ASCA, along with the National Association of School Psychiatrists, the School Social Workers Association of American and the American Psychological Association, authored a letter to House appropriators committee requesting $250 million to be divided between the Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant Program and the School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program. Together, these grants support efforts to train, recruit and retain school mental health professionals to increase the pipeline of qualified school mental health professionals and expand access to comprehensive school mental health services. (April 25, 2024)

Assault Weapons Ban: ASCA joins leading education organizations in letter urging Congress to reinstate a strengthened federal assault weapons ban as quickly as possible. (Nov. 27, 2023)

Safe Schools Improvement Act: ASCA joined GLSEN and the Human Rights Campaign, along with 61 other organizations, in support of the Safe Schools Improvement Act. The bill would make significant steps toward safer and more inclusive school settings by prohibiting bullying and harassment on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex characteristics, disability, and religion. (Oct. 24, 2023)

529 Plans: ASCA signed on to a letter of support for H.R. 1477 The Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act that would amend current law to allow workers and students to use their 529 plans to pay for training or credentialing programs recognized by a state government or the federal government — or widely recognized as providing reputable credentials. (July 2023)

LGBTQI+ and Women's History Bill: ASCA signed onto a letter in support of HR 4273 LGBTQI+ and Women’s History Education Act of 2023. The bill directs the Smithsonian National Museum of American History to develop and disseminate resources for educators to teach LGBTQI+ and women's history in an inclusive and intersectional way and provides funds to support this important work. (June 21, 2023)

Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs: ASCA signed onto a letter in support of nondiscrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance. This proposed rulemaking by the U.S. Department of Education addressing nondiscrimination in school sports where separate-sex teams are lawfully permitted makes participation consistent with gender identity. (May 16, 2023)

Title IX: ASCA, along with the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network, National Education Association, National Association of School Psychologists and others, co-led a response to the proposed rulemaking by the U.S. Department of Education for Title IX. The rule addresses nondiscrimination in school sports where separate-sex teams are lawfully permitted. The response states that transgender, nonbinary and intersex youth in schools should have equal opportunity to participate in school sports consistent with their gender identity and that restrictions that target transgender, nonbinary,and intersex youth should not be permissible. (May 2023)

RETAIN Act: ASCA signed on as a supporter for the Retaining Educators Takes Added Investment Now (RETAIN) Act introduced by Sen. Durbin during Teacher Appreciation Week. The RETAIN Act creates a fully refundable tax credit for teachers, paraprofessionals, school-based mental health providers and school leaders in Title I schools, and educators, program providers and program directors in early childhood education programs funded by Head Start, Early Head Start, and Child Care and Development Block Grant. (May 2023)

LGBTQ+ Youth: ASCA, along with other national organizations, signed on to a letter sponsored by The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights opposing H.R. 734 that attacks transgender, nonbinary and intersex youth. (March 2023)

Inclusive Education: ASCA, along with 50 other organizations, including the National Parent Teachers Association, the Human Rights Campaign and NAACP, signed on to support the Bill of Rights for Students and Parents, a resolution to advance an inclusive, aspirational, and affirmative vision for public education. The full text of the resolution can be found here. (March 2023)

LGBTQ+ Youth in Schools: ASCA, along with Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network, National Education Association and the National Association of School Psychologists, authored a letter of support endorsing the Rise Up for LGBTQI+ Youth in Schools resolution. (April 2023)

Book Bans: ASCA, along with more than 200 civil rights and education organizations, sent a letter to Congress to reject book bans and bigotry and support inclusion and respect. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, spearheading the effort, calls on Congress to support H.R. 219, The Bill of Rights for Students and Parents. (April 2023)

Mental Health Demonstration and Personnel Grants: ASCA, along with 10 state school counselor associations, signed onto a letter in support of funding to address critical school mental health workforce shortages as part of the FY2024 appropriations bill for the U.S. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. (March 22, 2023)

Student Development: ASCA, along with other members of the Leading with SEL Coalition, signed on to a letter sent to the chairs and ranking members of the House Labor, HHS, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee asking Congress to support investments in students’ academic and social/emotional development. (March 2023)

DACA and Immigration Reform: ASCA joined education and civil rights groups in a letter to congressional leadership urging a legislative solution to improve DACA and immigration reform. (Dec. 12, 2022)

Student Support and Academic Enrichment: ASCA signed on to a letter urging Congress to fund the Student Support and Academic Enrichment grant program, authorized by Title IV Part A of The Every Student Succeeds Act program, at $2 billion in FY23. This block grant supports investments in safe and healthy school environments, well-rounded education programs and the effective use of technology in education. (Nov. 29, 2022)

Emergency Connectivity Fund: ASCA joined more than 60 education and related national organizations to ask Congress to include $1 billion in the FY23 appropriations bill to replenish the Emergency Connectivity Fund, administered by the Federal Communications Commission. (Oct. 27, 2022)

SEL Funding: ASCA joined a coalition of SEL-focused organizations in urging the federal government to invest in primary prevention provisions in the FY23 appropriations bill. (Oct. 14, 2022)

Cybercrimes Mediation Funding: ASCA and other national education organizations sent a letter to the FCC to request a separate funding solution to mediate cybercrimes against K-12 schools rather than using education budgets intended for increased access to connectivity, teaching and learning. (Sept. 22, 2022)

Title IX: ASCA, GLSEN and eight other education and civil rights organizations co-authored a comment letter in response to the U.S. Department of Education’s proposed Title IX rule. The rule clearly affirms that anti-LGBTQI+ discrimination is sex-based discrimination and prohibited in federally funded schools. (Sept. 12, 2022)

Pass Gun Legislation: ASCA and other education associations call on Congress to pass legislation that will address the gun violence in this country (June 8, 2022) and ban assault weapons.

End Gun Violence: ASCA joined the American Psychological Association and a number of other organizations in a full-page USA Today ad calling for an end to gun violence. (June 7, 2022)

Statement on Gun Violence Crisis: ASCA joined 59 other organizations in signing onto a letter to policymakers urging them to take action to address the national gun violence crisis. (June 6, 2022)

Protecting Our Students in Schools Act: ASCA joined 240 organizations and individuals in support of the Protecting Our Students in Schools Act and urged co-sponsorship of this bill to eliminate corporal punishment in schools. (April 29, 2022)

Funding for School-Based Mental Health: ASCA, along with the National Association of School Psychologies, the School Social Workers Association of American, Sandy Hook Promise and the American Psychological Association, co-wrote a letter urging congressional appropriators to provide $1 billion to support school-based mental health services in the federal budget. (April 28, 2022)

Funding for Research into Firearm Mortality Prevention: ASCA, along with more than 280 organizations, signed onto a letter urging congressional appropriators to increase funding for the CDC and NIH to conduct public health research into firearm morbidity and mortality prevention. (April 28, 2022)

2022 State of the Union Address: ASCA commends President Biden's commitment to student mental health (March 1, 2022)

Anti-LGBTQ+ Bills in State Legislatures: ASCA and other organizations devoted to addressing children's educational, medical and developmental needs released an open letter calling on state legislatures around the country to halt the flood of discriminatory, anti-LGBTQ+ legislation being advanced. The 21 groups called on lawmakers to reconsider moving forward with policies that will endanger vulnerable, marginalized populations. (Feb. 15, 2022)

Civil Rights Data Collection: ASCA and other organizations signed onto a letter strongly supporting the addition of a nonbinary measure for student enrollment records and the disaggregation across all CRDC measures where “sex (membership)” or simply: gender is collected for K-12 students. This measure makes it possible for schools and LEAs that collect this data to accurately report it and will help shed light on existing disparities. (Feb. 15, 2022)

Federal Grants to Support School Mental Health: ASCA signed onto a letter urging Congress to pass an appropriations bill that helps address the severe shortages of school-based mental health professionals (school psychologists, school counselors, and school social workers) and other specialized instructional support personnel. (Dec. 7, 2021)

Federal TRIO Programs: ASCA signed on to a letter urging the U.S. Department of Education to eliminate the regulatory requirement that participants in the Federal TRIO Programs must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents to access TRIO’s life-changing college access completion services. The Federal TRIO Programs provide counseling, mentoring, tutoring and advising services for low-income students and those who will be the first in their family to earn a college degree, students with disabilities, disconnected adults, and military veterans. TRIO currently serves more than 800,000 students annually, two-thirds of whom are students of color. TRIO has produced more than six million college graduates. (July 8, 2021)

SEL in FY22 Appropriations: ASCA signed onto a letter to congressional Appropriations Committee leadership urging them to prioritize SEL in the fiscal year 2022 appropriations bill of at least $784 million.

Title IX: GLSEN submitted comments on Title IX rules, co-led by the American School Counselor Association, Human Rights Campaign, National Association of School Psychologists, National PTA, National Women’s Law Center and PFLAG National, in response to the Department of Education's Public Hearing on Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (86 FR 27429).

Infrastructure Funding: ASCA joined 16 national organizations urging Congress to include at least $100 billion in direct grants and $30 billion in bonds for K-12 public school facilities in any infrastructure funding bill, which is consistent with the Reopen and Rebuild America's Schools Act, passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in July 2020. (May 12, 2021)

Safe Schools National Activities Program: ASCA worked with the National Association of School Psychologists, the American Psychological Association and Sandy Hook Promise on a letter to Congress urging an increase of $500 million to the Safe Schools National Activities Programs for grant programs intended to increase access to school-based mental health providers and address shortages in the field. 55 national organizations and 105 state organizations signed on to the effort. (April 26, 2021)

Public Service Loan Forgiveness: Nearly 100 organizations representing millions of public service workers and student loan borrowers urge the U.S. Secretary of Education to immediately undertake a review of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program and ensure all public service workers who have completed a decade of service receive the debt relief they were promised. (April 12, 2021)

Equity in School Reopening: ASCA, GLSEN, National PTA, the National Association of Secondary School Principals and the National Association of School Psychologists delivered a joint statement to school leaders and other stakeholders urging them to prioritize equity in school reopenings. (March 18, 2021)

Homework Gap: ASCA joined 58 education and related national associations urging the U.S. Senate to include $7 billion of Emergency Connectivity funds as outlined in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, previously approved by the U.S. House of Representatives. (March 4, 2021)

Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act: ASCA and 150 other organizations sent a letter to President Biden encouraging him to end the use of Department of Justice federal funding for police in schools, but instead shift funding away from supporting the use of school-based police and toward the use of much-needed mental health professionals in our schools. The letter also urged the president to work with Congress to support positive school climates by submitting an FY 2022 budget specifically prohibiting all federal funding of police in schools and endorsing the Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act. (Feb. 21, 2021)

American Rescue Plan: ASCA and other leading education organizations sent a letter to the House of Representatives in support of the $128 billion in funding included in the American Rescue Plan to address, among other needs, supporting remote learning, hiring support staff, rethinking school calendars, improving ventilation in buildings and more. (Feb. 22, 2021)

Homework Gap: ASCA and numerous other education and related national associations support the $7.6 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund, contained in the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2021, S. Con. Res. 5, that allow would allow Federal Communications to provide one-time emergency support for schools and libraries to purchase technology and devices needed for Internet connectivity through the E-rate program. (Feb. 10, 2021)

State and Local Aid: The recent relief bill provided only a portion of what is needed to address the effects of the pandemic on the safe operation of schools. Additional funds for states, counties, cities, towns and schools are critical to address revenue losses due to the downturn in the economy and the additional costs needed to continue COVID response. (Jan. 15, 2021)

No Name-Calling Week: ASCA and a number of other K–12 education organizations signed onto a letter urging the House of Representatives to officially designate Jan. 18–22, 2020, as No Name-Calling Week. (Dec. 15, 2020)

COVID-19 Vaccine: ASCA and other members of the Learning First Alliance urge the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to give adults in the school system priority access to COVID-19 vaccinations. (Nov. 30, 2020)

HEROES Act 2.0: 60 education and related national associations urge Congress to include in an emergency COVID-19 package the provisions in the HEROES Act 2.0 (H.R. 925), which would establish an Emergency Connectivity Fund to provide $12 billion to schools and libraries to ensure students and educators have Internet access from home and appropriate connectivity devices. (Nov. 20, 2020)

Gavin Grimm v. Gloucester County School Board: In the case of Gavin Grimm v. Gloucester County School Board, the Fourth Circuit Court affirmed that Title IX protects the plaintiff from discrimination and the school district was incorrect in preventing him from using the bathroom that matches his gender identity. The Court writes, “At the heart of this appeal is whether equal protection and Title IX can protect transgender students from school bathroom policies that prohibit them from affirming their gender. We join a growing consensus of courts in holding that the answer is resoundingly yes.” In its decision, the court quoted from an amicus brief provided by ASCA, GLSEN, the National PTA and the National Association of School Psychologists. (September 2020)

Bostock v. Clayton County: On June 15, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Bostock v. Clayton County “discrimination based on homosexuality or transgender status necessarily entails discrimination based on sex; the first cannot happen without the second.” However, the U.S. Department of Education (USED), Office of Civil Rights (OCR) has yet to issue guidance ensuring the protection of LGBTQ students or educators. ASCA joins education and civil rights organizations urging OCR to take immediate action to ensure equal protections as the country returns to school. (August 2020)

Stabilization Funding: ASCA and other education associations encourage Congress to provide additional stabilization funding for states, including substantial funding specifically for K-12 education and higher education, in an upcoming legislative package designed to address the continuing challenges and aftermath presented by COVID-19. (August 2020)

HEALS: ASCA joins additional organizations in responding to the Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection and Schools (HEALS) Act. (July 2020)