SCHOOL COUNSELING & PARENT RIGHTS · VIRGINIA
Campbell County school counseling: parent notices and participation choices
A practical guide to understanding a proposed school counseling service, reviewing its materials, and recording a family’s participation choices.
District resources and current Virginia regulation reviewed October 18, 2026
Start by identifying the service
Virginia’s current school counseling regulation distinguishes academic planning, career planning, and personal or social counseling. The last category can include general classroom discussions or structured sessions addressing a student’s particular concerns.
When a school proposes an activity, ask for its name, purpose, leader, group size, number of sessions, and expected start date. Those details help you understand the participation decision.
Campbell’s School Counseling page provides its posted notice and opt-out instructions. The linked notification document is labeled 25–26, so request the current version when discussing a specific program.
Request the notice and review the materials
The Virginia regulation requires local policies to provide written notice at least annually. That notice must describe available programs, explain how parents can review materials, and identify procedures for limiting participation. It also says students cannot be required to participate in a counseling program to which their parent objects.
CCPS directs parents to the school counselor to arrange a materials review. In your request, identify the activity and ask to see the materials planned for it. A useful follow-up is whether any handouts, videos, or activities will be added later and how families can review those additions. Keep the notice with your own notes so the school and family can refer to the same program description.
Clarify what the proposed form does
CCPS’s information mentions parental permission for small-group counseling and written notification for short-term social or emotional groups. Ask whether the specific document being sent home requests affirmative permission or explains an opportunity to decline.
The state rule lets local boards use an opt-out or affirmative-consent approach for personal or social counseling, with distinctions among service formats. It also bars requiring affirmative parental consent for short-duration personal or social counseling needed to maintain order, discipline, or a productive learning environment. Confirm how the school classifies a proposed service before relying on a general statement about permission.
Use Campbell’s opt-out form
The CCPS form and its accompanying instructions allow parents to excuse a child from academic, career, or social or emotional counseling at any time. They direct families to return the completed form to the child’s school main office. A downloadable copy is linked there.
Record the student’s name and grade, identify the participation choice clearly, and sign and date the form. Keep a copy and ask the office to confirm receipt and explain how the choice will be communicated to the counselor. For a change later in the year, ask which updated form or written request the school needs.
Keep the academic plan organized
CCPS’s notice says a parent who declines academic or career counseling takes responsibility for ensuring academic and graduation requirements are fulfilled. Discuss how you will track course requirements, deadlines, and future planning.
The district’s Secondary Program of Studies provides course descriptions and information about graduation, dual enrollment, Early College, and other programs. Use the student’s actual schedule alongside it when preparing questions.
School-specific forms also matter. Altavista Combined School’s counseling page, for example, lists separate counselor-request, schedule-change, and parent course-override forms. Ask your child’s own school which procedure applies to the academic issue you are trying to resolve.
Use the current family tools for follow-up
Campbell’s 2026–27 Annual Checkup instructions ask families to update counseling-related information in Infinite Campus. They direct families with questions to their child’s school. Ask the counselor whether an entry there also requires a separate signed participation form.
For grades 6–12, the district’s SchooLinks family guidance explains guardian access to academic and career planning, reminders, and counselor messaging. It tells families to look for an email invitation and instructions from the school. If access is missing, ask the school to help connect the correct guardian account.
After a discussion, a brief written recap can identify the agreed activity, materials reviewed, participation choice, and next contact. These are practical recordkeeping steps; the school can confirm its required procedure.