NY State Senate Bill 2021-S8566

Senate Bill S8566

2021-2022 Legislative Session

Requires the department of education to report information regarding counselors, social workers and psychologists in schools

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Mar 14, 2022	referred to education

2021-S8566 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A63
Current Committee:: Senate Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §§305 & 3602, Ed L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2017-2018: A10387
2019-2020: A3576
2023-2024: S1577, A902

2021-S8566 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires the department of education to report information regarding counselors, social workers and psychologists in schools and to implement a plan to increase the school counselor, school social worker and school psychologist to student ratio to nationally accepted standards and provide funding for such.

2021-S8566 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S8566

SPONSOR: BROUK
 
TITLE OF BILL:

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

 
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 amends the education law to direct the commissioner of educa-
tion 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 work-
ers, 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:

2019-20: A3576 referred to Education

2017-18: A10387 referred to Education/S7838A passed Senate
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2021-S8566 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8566
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              March 14, 2022
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  BROUK  -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee 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:
 
   Section 1. Section 305 of the education law is amended by adding a new
 subdivision 57 to read as follows:
   57.  A.  THE  COMMISSIONER SHALL SUBMIT TO THE GOVERNOR, THE TEMPORARY
 PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND  THE  SPEAKER  OF  THE  ASSEMBLY,  A  REPORT
 REGARDING  SCHOOL  COUNSELORS, SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS AND SCHOOL PSYCHOL-
 OGISTS FOR THE CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR. SUCH REPORT SHALL INCLUDE,  BUT  NOT
 BE  LIMITED  TO: (I) THE NUMBER OF FULL AND PART-TIME SCHOOL COUNSELORS,
 SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS AND SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS IN EACH SCHOOL, (II)  THE
 RATIO  OF  STUDENTS  TO  THE  NUMBER  OF SCHOOL COUNSELORS, THE RATIO OF
 STUDENTS TO THE NUMBER OF  SCHOOL  SOCIAL  WORKERS,  AND  THE  RATIO  OF
 STUDENTS TO THE NUMBER OF SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS IN EACH SCHOOL, AND (III)
 WHETHER  THE  SCHOOL  COUNSELOR, SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKER OR SCHOOL PSYCHOL-
 OGIST IS PROVIDING COUNSELING ASSISTANCE TO MORE THAN ONE SCHOOL.
   B. AFTER SUCH REPORT IS  ISSUED,  THE  COMMISSIONER  SHALL  PREPARE  A
 PROPOSAL  ON  HOW  TO  INCREASE  THE NUMBER OF SCHOOL COUNSELORS, SCHOOL
 SOCIAL WORKERS AND SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS TO MEET THE NATIONALLY  ACCEPTED
 RATIO  OF STUDENTS TO THE NUMBER OF SCHOOL COUNSELORS, RATIO OF STUDENTS
 TO THE NUMBER OF SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS, AND RATIO  OF  STUDENTS  TO  THE
 NUMBER  OF  SCHOOL  PSYCHOLOGISTS  WITHIN  NEW  YORK STATE SUCH AS THOSE
 RECOMMENDED BY THE SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, THE AMERI-
 CAN SCHOOL COUNSELORS ASSOCIATION AND THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL
 PSYCHOLOGISTS. WHEN PREPARING SUCH PROPOSAL, THE COMMISSIONER SHALL TAKE
 INTO CONSIDERATION THE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND
 THE REGION IN WHICH SUCH SCHOOL DISTRICT IS LOCATED.
   C. FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SUBDIVISION, THE FOLLOWING  TERMS  SHALL  HAVE
 THE FOLLOWING MEANINGS:
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD02539-01-1

 S. 8566                             2
 
   (I)  "SCHOOL  COUNSELOR" SHALL MEAN ANY PERSONNEL, LICENSED AND CERTI-
 FIED BY NEW YORK STATE AS SCHOOL COUNSELOR, HIRED TO PROVIDE  INDIVIDUAL
 OR GROUP COUNSELING ASSISTANCE TO STUDENTS IN THE ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, OR
 HIGH SCHOOL GRADES;
   (II)  "SCHOOL  SOCIAL  WORKER"  SHALL MEAN ANY PERSONNEL, LICENSED AND
 CERTIFIED BY NEW YORK STATE AS A SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKER, HIRED TO  PROVIDE
 INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP COUNSELING ASSISTANCE TO STUDENTS IN THE ELEMENTARY,
 MIDDLE, OR HIGH SCHOOL GRADES; AND
   (III)  "SCHOOL  PSYCHOLOGIST"  SHALL  MEAN ANY PERSONNEL, LICENSED AND
 CERTIFIED BY NEW YORK STATE AS A SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST, HIRED  TO  PROVIDE
 INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP COUNSELING ASSISTANCE TO STUDENTS IN THE ELEMENTARY,
 MIDDLE, OR HIGH SCHOOL GRADES.
   §  2.  Section  3602  of  the education law is amended by adding a new
 subdivision 21 to read as follows:
   21. IN ADDITION TO THE APPORTIONMENTS PAYABLE  TO  A  SCHOOL  DISTRICT
 PURSUANT  TO  THIS  SECTION,  THE  COMMISSIONER  IS HEREBY AUTHORIZED TO
 APPORTION TO ANY SCHOOL DISTRICT ADDITIONAL AID PURSUANT TO THIS  SUBDI-
 VISION FOR ITS APPROVED EXPENDITURES IN THE BASE YEAR FOR THE EMPLOYMENT
 OF SCHOOL COUNSELORS, SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS AND/OR SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS.
 THE  COMMISSIONER  SHALL  ANNUALLY  PRESCRIBE  A COST ALLOWANCE FOR SUCH
 SCHOOL COUNSELORS, SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS AND/OR SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS AND
 THE APPROVED EXPENDITURES SHALL NOT EXCEED SUCH COST ALLOWANCE.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

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