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A10387 Summary:

A10387 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
 submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)



 
BILL NUMBER: A10387
 
SPONSOR: Gunther

 
TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend the education law, in relation to
requiring the department of education to report information regarding
counselors, social workers and psychologists in schools
 
 
PURPOSE:
 
To gather information in order to provide better counseling services to
our students throughout the state by ensuring the state meets the
nationally accepted level of school counselors, school social workers,
and school psychologists per school.
 
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 adds new subdivision 57 to section 305, which directs the
commissioner of education to submit a report to the governor, temporary
president of the senate, and the speaker of the assembly, and specifies
the data the commissioner must include in such report.  Following the
report, the commissioner must develop a proposal to increase the number
of school counselors, school social workers, and school psychologists to
meet nationally accepted counseling professional to student ratios in
New York State.
 
Section 2 provides the effective date.
 
 
JUSTIFICATION:
 
The American School Counselor Association recommends a ratio of 1:250
school counselors to students; in New York, the ratio is more than twice
that, at 1:635 school counselors. Similarly, the School Social Work
Association of America recommends a ratio of 1:250 school social workers
to students, and an even lower ratio of 1:50 where students require more
intensive care. The National Association of School Psychologists recom-
mends a ratio of 1:500-700 school psychologists to students, a ratio
that New York met in the 2009-2010 school year with a ratio of 1:600.
 
With the guidance of school counselors, school social workers, and
school psychologists, students stand a greater chance to succeed in
their education and establishing a concrete path to their futures.
 
This bill seeks to increase access to mental health services in our
schools by first tracking the number of school counselors, school social
workers, and school psychologists who serve students throughout the
state, and directs the state Education Commissioner to develop a plan to
achieve nationally accepted professional-to-student ratios in every
district and region.
 
The bill also provides that any additional expense incurred by local
districts in meeting the standards for school counselors, psychologists
and social workers should be reimbursed by the state.
 
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
 
New Bill.
 
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
 
To be determined.
 
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

A10387 Text:

 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          10387
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                     April 18, 2018
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by M. of A. GUNTHER -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee on Education
 
        AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to requiring the  depart-
          ment  of  education to report information regarding counselors, social
          workers and psychologists in schools
 
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Section 305 of the education law is amended by adding a new
     2  subdivision 57 to read as follows:
     3    57.  a.  The  commissioner shall submit to the governor, the temporary
     4  president of the senate and  the  speaker  of  the  assembly,  a  report
     5  regarding  school  counselors, school social workers and school psychol-
     6  ogists for the current school year. Such report shall include,  but  not
     7  be  limited  to: (i) the number of full and part-time school counselors,
     8  school social workers and school psychologists in each school, (ii)  the
     9  ratio  of  students  to  the  number  of school counselors, the ratio of
    10  students to the number of  school  social  workers,  and  the  ratio  of
    11  students to the number of school psychologists in each school, and (iii)
    12  whether  the  school  counselor, school social worker or school psychol-
    13  ogist is providing counseling assistance to more than one school.
    14    b. After such report is  issued,  the  commissioner  shall  prepare  a
    15  proposal  on  how  to  increase  the number of school counselors, school
    16  social workers and school psychologists to meet the nationally  accepted
    17  ratio  of students to the number of school counselors, ratio of students
    18  to the number of school social workers, and ratio  of  students  to  the
    19  number  of  school  psychologists  within  New  York state such as those
    20  recommended by the school social work association of America, the Ameri-
    21  can school counselors association and the national association of school
    22  psychologists. When preparing such proposal, the commissioner shall take
    23  into consideration the specific needs of individual school districts and
    24  the region in which such school district is located.
    25    c. For purposes of this subdivision, the following  terms  shall  have
    26  the following meanings:
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD14936-06-8
        A. 10387                            2
 
     1    (i)  "school  counselor" shall mean any personnel, licensed and certi-
     2  fied by New York state as school counselor, hired to provide  individual
     3  or group counseling assistance to students in the elementary, middle, or
     4  high school grades;
     5    (ii)  "school  social  worker"  shall mean any personnel, licensed and
     6  certified by New York state as a school social worker, hired to  provide
     7  individual or group counseling assistance to students in the elementary,
     8  middle, or high school grades; and
     9    (iii)  "school  psychologist"  shall  mean any personnel, licensed and
    10  certified by New York state as a school psychologist, hired  to  provide
    11  individual or group counseling assistance to students in the elementary,
    12  middle, or high school grades.
    13    §  2.  Section  3602  of  the education law is amended by adding a new
    14  subdivision 19 to read as follows:
    15    19. In addition to the apportionments payable  to  a  school  district
    16  pursuant  to  this  section,  the  commissioner  is hereby authorized to
    17  apportion to any school district additional aid pursuant to this  subdi-
    18  vision for its approved expenditures in the base year for the employment
    19  of school counselors, school social workers and/or school psychologists.
    20  The  commissioner  shall  annually  prescribe  a cost allowance for such
    21  school counselors, school social workers and/or school psychologists and
    22  the approved expenditures shall not exceed such cost allowance.
    23    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.