Board approves revised counselor job descriptions; trustees ask for parent-facing clarification

The Murrieta Valley board voted 3-2 to approve revised job descriptions for school counselors after extended discussion and requests for clearer parent communications.

Staff and administrators said the revisions were intended to align disparate counselor descriptions across elementary and secondary sites and to reflect the full scope of work counselors perform — academic support, social-emotional interventions, behavior response and college/career advising. District officials emphasized counselors are not licensed clinicians and do not provide clinical therapy; their role is to identify risk, provide initial support and connect families to external services.

Several trustees and community members said the draft language was confusing for lay readers and raised questions about scope: what constitutes a crisis that requires outside referral, when parents are notified and where counselors' responsibilities end. One trustee recommended a parent-facing infographic and clearer guardrails in district materials; staff agreed to prepare clarifying materials and offer a short presentation at a future meeting.

Supporters on the board said the changes reflect current practice and ensure counselors' job descriptions match expectations, while critics urged a short delay to add explicit limits and communication plans. The motion to approve the revisions passed 3-2 with direction to provide additional explanatory materials to the public and a request for a short informational presentation for trustees and families.

The board did not change the underlying counselor licensure or clinical limits described in the revisions; staff reiterated counselors will follow credentialing and district protocols and will escalate to outside agencies when warranted.