An Act requiring school life support coaches in Pennsylvania high schools; and imposing duties on the Department of Education and school districts.

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
Requiring school life support coaches in Pennsylvania high
schools; and imposing duties on the Department of Education
and school districts.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the School Life
Support Coaches Act.
Section 2. Legislative findings and declarations.
(a) Findings.--The General Assembly finds and declares as
follows:
(1) High school students face increasing rates of
anxiety, depression, social isolation and disengagement.
(2) Licensed school psychologists, social workers and
counselors are often overburdened, leaving gaps in daily
emotional support.
(3) Hiring additional licensed clinicians to provide
daily mentoring is financially and practically infeasible.
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(4) Establishing school life support coaches will
provide consistent, daily nonclinical support, complementing
existing licensed staff.
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this act is to provide for the
nonclinical, daily support role of school life support coaches
who can provide mentorship, social and emotional guidance,
crisis assistance and connection to school and community
resources.
Section 3. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Coach." A school life support coach who is a trained,
nonclinical professional providing daily emotional support,
mentorship, crisis response and social and emotional guidance.
"Department." The Department of Education of the
Commonwealth.
"High need." A school or district with elevated student
mental health risks, disengagement or limited support based on
criteria, including poverty rate, attendance, social-economic
learning metrics or risk of dropout.
"Nonclinical support." Activities focused on resilience,
coping skills, mentorship and immediate emotional assistance
without therapy, diagnosis or treatment.
Section 4. Staffing.
(a) Requirement.--In accordance with the timing in section
12, each public high school shall employ at least one coach, in
accordance with the following ratios:
(1) A high-need school or district, one coach for every
300 students.
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(2) A school or district that is not considered high
need, one coach for every 500 students.
(b) Sharing.--Districts may share coaches regionally to
reduce costs and optimize coverage.
(c) Limitation.--A coach shall not perform duties assigned
to counselors, social workers or psychologists.
Section 5. Duties of coaches.
A coach shall:
(1) Provide daily one-on-one or small group social
emotional support.
(2) Respond to nonclinical emotional crises, including
panic, grief or stress, refer students requiring clinical
intervention to licensed staff and document referrals in
accordance with district policy.
(3) Mentor students at risk of disengagement, isolation
or dropout.
(4) Facilitate workshops and activities to build
community and promote a safe and inclusive school climate.
(5) Connect students to school and community resources.
Section 6. Qualifications.
(a) Minimum credentials.--A coach shall have one of the
following:
(1) A bachelor's degree in education, human services,
youth development, public health, restorative justice or a
related field with at least two years experience.
(2) An associate's degree with at least four years of
relevant experience.
(b) Licensed clinicians.--A licensed clinician may serve as
a coach if the coaching is done in a nonclinical scope.
(c) Training.--Each coach shall be trained in the following:
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(1) Trauma-informed care.
(2) Crisis prevention and intervention in a nonclinical
manner.
(3) Cultural competence and equity.
(4) Restorative practices.
(d) Continuing education.--At least 15 hours per year of
district-managed or optional department-provided modules shall
be required of coaches.
(e) Scope restrictions.--The following must be done through
coordinated referrals with licensed staff:
(1) Therapy.
(2) Diagnosis.
(3) Academic instructions.
Section 7. Compensation, funding and incentives.
(a) Compensation.--The department shall provide guidance to
school districts on competitive and equitable compensation for
school life support coaches. The following shall apply:
(1) In providing this guidance, the department shall
consider:
(i) Regional cost-of-living differences.
(ii) School district budgets and staffing
capacities.
(iii) Coach qualifications, credentials and
experience.
(iv) High-need priorities within districts.
(2) School districts shall determine coach compensation
in alignment with this guidance, ensuring that positions are
attractive, sustainable and effective in meeting each
student's social and emotional needs.
(b) Sources of funding.--Compensation and related expenses
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for coaches may be supported through one or more of the
following:
(1) School district allocations.
(2) State grants, including programs focused on mental
health or social-emotional learning.
(3) Federal grants, including programs for students with
disabilities or school-based mental health services.
(4) Public-private partnerships.
(c) Incentives and bonuses.--Districts may offer additional
stipends, bonuses or other incentives to:
(1) Attract and retain coaches in high-need schools.
(2) Recruit bilingual, culturally competent or
specialized staff.
(3) Recognize exceptional performance or additional
responsibilities that enhance student support.
(d) Purpose and oversight.--Districts shall have flexibility
while ensuring accountability and alignment with the mission of
this act. Each district shall provide consistent, daily
mentorship, social and emotional guidance and crisis support to
students. The department may provide additional technical
assistance, resources or recommendations to ensure successful
implementation across all districts.
Section 8. Departmental duties.
The department has the following duties:
(1) Providing:
(i) Optional templates and guidance for recruitment
and job descriptions.
(ii) Optional start-up grants through existing
programs to fund initial hiring or training.
(iii) Optional templates and guidance for district
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reporting and program evaluation.
(iv) Optional technical assistance and training
resources.
(v) Optional assistance with determining timing and
staffing based on capacity.
(2) Reviewing aggregate or sample-based data every three
years and may issue recommendations to the General Assembly.
Section 9. District duties.
(a) Reporting.--Each district must report annually to the
department all of the following information:
(1) Number of coaches employed.
(2) Student-to-coach ratios.
(3) Number of check-ins, workshops and referrals made.
(4) Aggregate outcomes in:
(i) Attendance.
(ii) Engagement.
(iii) Disciplinary incidents.
(iv) Incidents.
(b) Form.--Districts may report this information using
optional forms created by the department.
Section 10. Liability, confidentiality and reporting.
(a) Liability.--A coach or other employee shall be protected
from liability for good-faith actions within the coach's or
employee's defined scope of employment.
(b) Confidentiality and mandated reporting.--Confidentiality
shall be maintained between the student and coach except for
when referral or mandated reporting is required.
Section 11. Noninterference and collaboration.
(a) Limitation.--Coaches shall not replace or override
counselors, social workers, psychologists or special education
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staff.
(b) Collaboration.--Coaches are required to collaborate with
licensed staff for referrals only.
Section 12. Department planned phase-in.
The department shall provide a roll out planned in accordance
with the following:
(1) Identified high need districts shall begin to use
coaches starting with the first full school year after the
effective date of this section.
(2) Beginning with the 2029-2030 school year, all
districts shall be required to have coaches on staff in
accordance with this act.
Section 13. Effective date.
This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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