by Marie Tiemann
Vermont parents are urged to contact their district senator about H.817, currently in the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare after passing the House. Titled “An act relating to mental health literacy and peer-to-peer supports in schools,” the bill promotes mental health education, peer-to-peer student support programs, and expanded access to school-based mental health resources.
Supporters frame it as strengthening “protective factors” for youth and increasing mental health awareness. However, we see it as shifting decision-making away from families toward schools and government entities, undermining parental authority in sensitive health and identity matters. The bill builds on the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) framework, which integrates health services, counseling, and social-emotional supports into the school environment.
Where Does this Framework Come From?
The WSCC framework is promoted by the powerful ASCA (American School Counselor Association). ASCA plays a pivotal role in shaping the professional standards and practices of school counselors across the United States.
In 1998, ASCA advised counselors to avoid imposing their personal values on students. However, ASCA has since moved to DEI activism. Position statements affirm student self-determination of gender identity and support affirming practices, including use of preferred names/pronouns without requiring parental confirmation in all cases. School counselors are encouraged to create safe spaces while engaging parents “as appropriate.” Here is background on ASCA’s goals.
ASCA also partners with organizations like GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Educator Network) and supports Gender-Sexuality Alliances (GSAs) in schools. Parents concerned about ideological influence in counseling or clubs should do a search on local school policies.
Psychologist, Dr. Aaron Kindsvatter states: “There is a growing concern that, in some instances, counseling—particularly within school and youth settings—may be used as a vehicle for promoting specific ideological perspectives rather than maintaining a stance of clinical neutrality. A review of certain counselor preparation programs in Vermont suggests a potential conflation between mental health practice and the endorsement of progressive or left-leaning ideological frameworks. While attention to social context, identity, and systemic factors is an important component of competent care, the risk emerges when these perspectives are presented not as lenses for understanding but as prescriptive viewpoints to be adopted. This dynamic raises important ethical questions regarding the role of counselors, the preservation of client autonomy, and the responsibility to ensure that therapeutic spaces remain supportive of diverse perspectives rather than oriented toward ideological alignment.”
Teachers Want to Teach — Not Diagnose
Many Vermont teachers express frustration. With academic proficiency in core subjects lagging, they want more time for instruction—not added responsibilities for mental health screening, feeding programs, or emotional evaluations best handled by licensed professionals. One teacher’s perspective: “Let me teach kids to read, write, and solve math problems.”
Teachers support alertness to serious issues like depression or suicidality but oppose being tasked with clinical-level responsibilities. There is already a mechanism in place to address concerns about student’s wellbeing, namely that teachers are mandatory reporters.
Student Perspectives Matter
Students enter school to learn and grow academically. Constant focus on mental health monitoring or peer counseling can create anxiety rather than excitement for learning. Students in counseling, and particularly peer counseling, are likely to experience loss of privacy about personal information, experience favoritism and feel pressure to align with certain viewpoints.
Some Important Questions
We ask: who is going to be reading the reports? Will parents be fully informed given that VT has a policy to maintain 2 separate files on a student? We question the reasoning to use peer supporters, who often lack full maturity or training for complex issues, risking boundary problems, confidentiality breaches, or burnout.
What can a Parent do?
- Opt Out Proactively: Do not allow your child to participate in school counseling sessions without your direct presence or prior written consent. Consider the Parental Rights 3-Day Notice (from the parents rights group Courage is a Habit), which formally requests notification within three business days if a child expresses gender-related preferences or requests social transition steps at school.
- Engage Legislators: Contact the members of the Vermont Senate Health and Welfare Committee. See a brief sample letter and email addresses at the end of this newsletter.
- Monitor Services: If you think your child might be given couseling, ask detailed questions about any school-based health clinic or expanded counseling: What services are offered? What is the consent process? How is information shared with parents? Are ideological perspectives balanced or avoided.
- Support Core Education: Advocate for more classroom time on fundamentals—reading, math, science, history—over expansive social-emotional or health programming.
Final Thoughts
The community is told that the goal is to work with parents. The truth is: the schools believe they must make the decision for the student because parents are considered to be unsafe if they don’t agree with the schools’ radical ideologies.
Education’s core purpose is academic excellence, not ideological reshaping or turning schools into mental health hubs. Strong families, involved parents, and focused teaching produce the best results for Vermont’s children. We contend that children should be given tools to build resilience rather than having the focus being on what’s wrong with that child or with someone else.
Request an amendment to H.817 “An act relating to mental health literacy and peer-to-peer support in schools requiring parents be notified
Send an email to the following addresses:
Calysta.Koppenhaver@vtleg.gov (Calysta Koppenhaver, Committee Assistant); vlyons@leg.state.vt.us (Sen. Virginia “Ginny” Lyons, Chair)
I believe the bill as written will cause unintended problems for many students and conflicts with the constitutional right of parents to direct the education and welfare of their child. It is important that H.817 be amended to require that parents:
- Be notified if their child is provided (or recommended for) any counseling or peer-to-peer programs
- Be fully informed about the concern(s) that led to such recommendations/treatments
- Have the right to opt their child out of any such treatments.
NOTE: End with your full name and town and contact info. If you are a parent of a student include that as well.
Author is Co-founder & President for SPEAKVT for Parents in Education, Inc.