THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 29, 1995 TAG: 9509290542
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
Gov. George F. Allen's State Board of Education appointees on Thursday postponed adoption of regulations on the politically charged issue of counseling for public school students.
The board voted 5-4 to table the proposed regulations, which were the subject of statewide public hearings attended by hundreds of Virginia parents last month.
The state currently does not regulate school guidance counselors. Some parents have complained that counseling has been forced on their children without their permission. The proposed Board of Education regulations would require parental consent and would prohibit the use of psychotherapy and controversial counseling techniques, including hypnosis.
All of the members voting for the delay were appointees of Allen, who supports giving parents more control over their children's counseling. Members appointed by Allen's Democratic predecessors wanted to go ahead and vote on the regulations.
The delay means the issue is not likely to be resolved before the Nov. 7 General Assembly elections, when Republicans hope to pick up the three seats in each house they need to take control.
Despite the party-line vote, Allen appointees insisted their actions were not politically motivated.
``This issue has become incredibly heated,'' said Allen appointee Lil Tuttle. ``If we can just get people to calm down and settle down, there is a lot of room for common ground.''
She said she hoped the debate would ``not go on much longer than two months.''
Cheri Yecke, another Allen appointee, said she wanted more time to study Democratic appointee Alan Wurtzel's alternative, introduced Thursday, to leave counseling regulations up to localities.
Wurtzel said his idea should appeal to conservatives, who generally support return of more control to localities.
``I think it's a little inconsistent to on one hand talk about delegating more authority to localities and on the other pass state regulations that would inhibit counseling,'' Wurtzel said.
Asked if he thought the Allen appointees did not want to be put in the position of opposing his local-control measure before the legislative elections, Wurtzel said: ``One could infer that.''
James P. Jones, the board chairman and a former Democratic state senator, would not speculate on the Allen allies' motives but said he was disappointed by the delay.
``I think it's time we decided the issue,'' he said.
``We've been talking about it for three years.''
Critics of the regulations have argued that counselors are the latest targets in conservatives' efforts to undermine public education.
Dorothy J. Blum, president of the Virginia Counselor Association, said the group supports the proposed regulations but would oppose any efforts to make them stricter.
``The vast majority of parents throughout Virginia are supportive of their children participating in guidance lessons and seeing the counselor for individual and group counseling,'' she said. ``Most parents see counselors as advocates for families.''
But Joshua Newell, a Newport News eighth-grader, complained that he was treated unfairly when he was ordered to undergo counseling as part of his in-school suspension.
Newell said his mother objected to the counseling but was told it was mandatory. Refusal to participate would result in a longer suspension, the boy and his mother were told. by CNB