Bethel Park counselors present Chapter 339 career-readiness plan; board to consider approval

Bethel Park School District counseling staff presented the district’s Chapter 339 guidance plan on career readiness and multi‑tiered student supports and told the board the plan will be on the district agenda for approval this month.

The plan, described by a counseling department presenter as the format required by the state, “articulates some of those activities that go on,” and lays out career-exploration work, social-emotional programming and staffing for the district, the presenter said. The board’s Curriculum Committee recommended moving the plan to the consent agenda for final action.

Why it matters: Chapter 339 guidance documents are the state-established format the district uses to show how counseling departments deliver career and readiness programming across grade levels. The plan will be uploaded to the State Department so the state has a copy of the district’s scope and sequence for career-readiness activities.

Counseling staff described current staffing and program elements. The district has a mix of counselors and social workers across buildings, including 4.5 elementary social workers (one half‑time position shared at William Penn), a half‑time social worker at NAMS, two counselors at Neil Armstrong, one social worker and two counselors at Independence Middle School (IMS), two social workers in the high school team room and four high school counselors. “We have about an average of anywhere from 300 to 350 in that figure,” a staff presenter said when summarizing caseloads.

The department emphasized a multi‑tiered system of supports (MTSS): universal career‑exploration and large‑group lessons at Tier 1; targeted small groups and periodic check‑ins at Tier 2; and individualized counseling and partnerships with outside providers at Tier 3. Staff said the district uses Google Classroom at elementary levels, Naviance from middle school through high school, and will pilot Smart Futures next year to expand career-exploration work.

Staff also described community partnerships that helped shape the plan, naming local employers and organizations — including Brookside Lumber, Bethel Bakerie, Steel Center and representatives from post‑secondary and vocational programs — who provided feedback and student opportunities such as field trips, mentorships and job shadows.

Board process: Mr. Scaliger, speaking for the Curriculum Committee, said, “I recommend that we move this to the consent agenda.” The committee’s recommendation means the full board is expected to vote on the plan on the district’s upcoming consent agenda.

The counseling presenter noted the current document focuses on middle and high school programming and that a separate elementary counseling plan is being developed; staff said they will return with details about the elementary staffing and the plan for K–5 supports in coming months.

The counseling department included SMART goals in the document to guide future work and said the plan is not the only work the department will pursue.

Ending: The Curriculum Committee’s recommendation places the Chapter 339 guidance plan on the board consent agenda for approval at the next regular meeting; staff requested the board review the plan and said they will bring follow‑up information on the elementary program and staffing plans later this year.