HB 2253

                                                 PRINTER'S NO.     2946
                THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
                    HOUSE BILL
                    No. 2253
                                           Session of
                                             2026
INTRODUCED BY GUZMAN, FLEMING, HILL-EVANS, MADDEN, FREEMAN AND
   SANCHEZ, FEBRUARY 26, 2026
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, FEBRUARY 26, 2026
                                AN ACT
1 Requiring school life support coaches in Pennsylvania high
2    schools; and imposing duties on the Department of Education
3    and school districts.
4    The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1.     Short title.
7    This act shall be known and may be cited as the School Life
8 Support Coaches Act.
9 Section 2.     Legislative findings and declarations.
10    (a)     Findings.--The General Assembly finds and declares as
11 follows:
12(1)   High school students face increasing rates of
13    anxiety, depression, social isolation and disengagement.
14(2)   Licensed school psychologists, social workers and
15    counselors are often overburdened, leaving gaps in daily
16    emotional support.
17(3)   Hiring additional licensed clinicians to provide
18    daily mentoring is financially and practically infeasible.
1(4)   Establishing school life support coaches will
2    provide consistent, daily nonclinical support, complementing
3    existing licensed staff.
4    (b)   Purpose.--The purpose of this act is to provide for the
5 nonclinical, daily support role of school life support coaches
6 who can provide mentorship, social and emotional guidance,
7 crisis assistance and connection to school and community
8 resources.
9 Section 3.     Definitions.
10    The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
11 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
12 context clearly indicates otherwise:
13    "Coach."     A school life support coach who is a trained,
14 nonclinical professional providing daily emotional support,
15 mentorship, crisis response and social and emotional guidance.
16    "Department."     The Department of Education of the
17 Commonwealth.
18    "High need."     A school or district with elevated student
19 mental health risks, disengagement or limited support based on
20 criteria, including poverty rate, attendance, social-economic
21 learning metrics or risk of dropout.
22    "Nonclinical support."     Activities focused on resilience,
23 coping skills, mentorship and immediate emotional assistance
24 without therapy, diagnosis or treatment.
25 Section 4.     Staffing.
26    (a)   Requirement.--In accordance with the timing in section
27 12, each public high school shall employ at least one coach, in
28 accordance with the following ratios:
29(1)   A high-need school or district, one coach for every
30    300 students.
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1(2)   A school or district that is not considered high
2    need, one coach for every 500 students.
3    (b)   Sharing.--Districts may share coaches regionally to
4 reduce costs and optimize coverage.
5    (c)   Limitation.--A coach shall not perform duties assigned
6 to counselors, social workers or psychologists.
7 Section 5.     Duties of coaches.
8    A coach shall:
9(1)   Provide daily one-on-one or small group social
10    emotional support.
11(2)   Respond to nonclinical emotional crises, including
12    panic, grief or stress, refer students requiring clinical
13    intervention to licensed staff and document referrals in
14    accordance with district policy.
15(3)   Mentor students at risk of disengagement, isolation
16    or dropout.
17(4)   Facilitate workshops and activities to build
18    community and promote a safe and inclusive school climate.
19(5)   Connect students to school and community resources.
20 Section 6.     Qualifications.
21    (a)   Minimum credentials.--A coach shall have one of the
22 following:
23(1)   A bachelor's degree in education, human services,
24    youth development, public health, restorative justice or a
25    related field with at least two years experience.
26(2)   An associate's degree with at least four years of
27    relevant experience.
28    (b)   Licensed clinicians.--A licensed clinician may serve as
29 a coach if the coaching is done in a nonclinical scope.
30    (c)   Training.--Each coach shall be trained in the following:
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1(1)   Trauma-informed care.
2(2)   Crisis prevention and intervention in a nonclinical
3    manner.
4(3)   Cultural competence and equity.
5(4)   Restorative practices.
6    (d)   Continuing education.--At least 15 hours per year of
7 district-managed or optional department-provided modules shall
8 be required of coaches.
9    (e)   Scope restrictions.--The following must be done through
10 coordinated referrals with licensed staff:
11(1)   Therapy.
12(2)   Diagnosis.
13(3)   Academic instructions.
14 Section 7.     Compensation, funding and incentives.
15    (a)   Compensation.--The department shall provide guidance to
16 school districts on competitive and equitable compensation for
17 school life support coaches. The following shall apply:
18(1)   In providing this guidance, the department shall
19    consider:
20(i)    Regional cost-of-living differences.
21(ii)    School district budgets and staffing
22capacities.
23(iii)    Coach qualifications, credentials and
24experience.
25(iv)    High-need priorities within districts.
26(2)   School districts shall determine coach compensation
27    in alignment with this guidance, ensuring that positions are
28    attractive, sustainable and effective in meeting each
29    student's social and emotional needs.
30    (b)   Sources of funding.--Compensation and related expenses
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1 for coaches may be supported through one or more of the
2 following:
3(1)   School district allocations.
4(2)   State grants, including programs focused on mental
5    health or social-emotional learning.
6(3)   Federal grants, including programs for students with
7    disabilities or school-based mental health services.
8(4)   Public-private partnerships.
9    (c)   Incentives and bonuses.--Districts may offer additional
10 stipends, bonuses or other incentives to:
11(1)   Attract and retain coaches in high-need schools.
12(2)   Recruit bilingual, culturally competent or
13    specialized staff.
14(3)   Recognize exceptional performance or additional
15    responsibilities that enhance student support.
16    (d)   Purpose and oversight.--Districts shall have flexibility
17 while ensuring accountability and alignment with the mission of
18 this act. Each district shall provide consistent, daily
19 mentorship, social and emotional guidance and crisis support to
20 students. The department may provide additional technical
21 assistance, resources or recommendations to ensure successful
22 implementation across all districts.
23 Section 8.     Departmental duties.
24    The department has the following duties:
25(1)   Providing:
26(i)    Optional templates and guidance for recruitment
27and job descriptions.
28(ii)    Optional start-up grants through existing
29programs to fund initial hiring or training.
30(iii)    Optional templates and guidance for district
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1reporting and program evaluation.
2(iv)    Optional technical assistance and training
3resources.
4(v)    Optional assistance with determining timing and
5staffing based on capacity.
6(2)   Reviewing aggregate or sample-based data every three
7    years and may issue recommendations to the General Assembly.
8 Section 9.     District duties.
9    (a)   Reporting.--Each district must report annually to the
10 department all of the following information:
11(1)   Number of coaches employed.
12(2)   Student-to-coach ratios.
13(3)   Number of check-ins, workshops and referrals made.
14(4)   Aggregate outcomes in:
15(i)    Attendance.
16(ii)    Engagement.
17(iii)    Disciplinary incidents.
18(iv)    Incidents.
19    (b)   Form.--Districts may report this information using
20 optional forms created by the department.
21 Section 10.     Liability, confidentiality and reporting.
22    (a)   Liability.--A coach or other employee shall be protected
23 from liability for good-faith actions within the coach's or
24 employee's defined scope of employment.
25    (b)   Confidentiality and mandated reporting.--Confidentiality
26 shall be maintained between the student and coach except for
27 when referral or mandated reporting is required.
28 Section 11.     Noninterference and collaboration.
29    (a)   Limitation.--Coaches shall not replace or override
30 counselors, social workers, psychologists or special education
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1 staff.
2    (b)   Collaboration.--Coaches are required to collaborate with
3 licensed staff for referrals only.
4 Section 12.    Department planned phase-in.
5    The department shall provide a roll out planned in accordance
6 with the following:
7(1)   Identified high need districts shall begin to use
8    coaches starting with the first full school year after the
9    effective date of this section.
10(2)   Beginning with the 2029-2030 school year, all
11    districts shall be required to have coaches on staff in
12    accordance with this act.
13 Section 13.    Effective date.
14    This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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