NY State Senate Bill 2023-S7558

Senate Bill S7558

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Requires the department of education to develop school health and mental health professionals to student ratios in public schools

download bill text pdf

Current 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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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 03, 2024	referred to education
Jun 06, 2023	referred to rules

co-Sponsors

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2023-S7558 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A7743
Current Committee:: Senate Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §305, Ed L

2023-S7558 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires the department of education to develop school health and mental health professionals to student ratios in public schools for students who do not receive services pursuant to the individuals with disabilities education act.

2023-S7558 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S7558

SPONSOR: JACKSON
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to requiring the depart-
ment of education to develop school health and mental health profes-
sionals to student ratios in public schools

 
PURPOSE:

This legislation would require the department of education to develop
school health and mental health professionals-to-student ratios in
public schools.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 sets forth the legislative intent.

Section 2 adds a new subdivision 60 to Section 305 of the Education Law
that requires the commissioner of education to to promulgate rules and
regulations to establish statewide school-based health and mental health

professional-to-student ratios in public schools; defines "school-based
health and mental health services;" and defines "public school."

Section 3 is the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Prior to the pandemic, national research showed that approximately 18%
of students, between 6 and 17 years old, had at least one mental health
diagnosis and approximately 10% of students, ages 3 to 17, had a diagno-
sis of either anxiety or depression. It is unclear how many students
with these symptoms are undiagnosed.

When the pandemic shut down our state, students were abruptly forced
into an unfamiliar and untested virtual learning environment.  Students
were isolated from the school setting they were most familiar with and
had limited or no access to the trained mental health professionals who
could observe and support them.

Now that school staff and students have returned to in-person learning,
school health and mental health professionals have noticed that return-
ing students' social-emotional and academic health have been stunted,
and students are in desperate need of services to address these issues.

However, the health and mental health needs of students far outweigh the
number of trained professionals who can support them. This legislation
would require the New York State Education Department, in conjunction
with the associations that represent school counselors, nurses, psychol-
ogists and social workers, must work to create a proper health and
mental health professionals to student ratios for New York's public
schools.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill.

 
STATE AND LOCAL FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2023-S7558 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7558
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               June 6, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. JACKSON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to requiring the  depart-
   ment  of  education to develop school health and mental health profes-
   sionals to student ratios in public schools

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Legislative  findings  and intent. The legislature hereby
 finds and declares that the toll the COVID-19 pandemic had and continues
 to have on our school communities warrants the immediate hiring of addi-
 tional school counselors, nurses, psychologists, and social  workers  to
 establish  effective  ratios with students in each school to ensure that
 their socio-emotional needs are being met.
   Students with unmet mental health  needs  often  struggle  in  school.
 Mental  health  problems  among students are also linked to an increased
 risk of depression, drug use, eating disorders, and becoming victims  of
 abuse.
   The  health  and  mental health needs of our students far outweigh the
 number of trained professionals who can adequately provide for them.  To
 address  this  unmet need, the state education department must establish
 proper health and mental health  professionals  to  student  ratios  for
 public  schools, taking into account such existing standards established
 by national health and mental health associations.
   § 2. Section 305 of the education law  is  amended  by  adding  a  new
 subdivision 60 to read as follows:
   60.  A.  THE  COMMISSIONER  SHALL  PROMULGATE RULES AND REGULATIONS TO
 ESTABLISH STATEWIDE SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH AND MENTAL  HEALTH  PROFESSIONAL
 TO  STUDENT  RATIOS  IN  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS FOR STUDENTS WHO DO NOT RECEIVE
 SERVICES PURSUANT TO THE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT, TO
 PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH TIMELY, IN-PERSON ACCESS  TO  SCHOOL-BASED  HEALTH
 AND  MENTAL  HEALTH  SERVICES.  SUCH RULES AND REGULATIONS SHALL REQUIRE
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD11726-01-3

 S. 7558                             2
 
 SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES TO BE  PROVIDED  BY  EACH
 SCHOOL  DISTRICT  FOR  ALL  STUDENTS  ATTENDING  A PUBLIC SCHOOL IN THIS
 STATE.
   B.  FOR  THE  PURPOSES  OF  THIS SUBDIVISION, "SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH AND
 MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES" SHALL INCLUDE THE SERVICES OF  A  SCHOOL  NURSE,
 CERTIFIED  OR LICENSED SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST, SCHOOL COUNSELOR, AND SOCIAL
 WORKER, EACH OF WHICH SHALL BE EMPLOYED BY  THE  DISTRICT  AND  IN  EACH
 SCHOOL  BUILDING  IN PROPORTION TO THE RATIOS ESTABLISHED BY THE COMMIS-
 SIONER.
   C. FOR THE PURPOSES OF  THIS  SUBDIVISION,  A  "PUBLIC  SCHOOL"  SHALL
 INCLUDE BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO A SCHOOL DISTRICT, PUBLIC SCHOOL, BOARD OF
 COOPERATIVE EDUCATIONAL SERVICES, SPECIAL ACT SCHOOL DISTRICT AS DEFINED
 IN SECTION FOUR THOUSAND ONE OF THIS CHAPTER, APPROVED PRESCHOOL SPECIAL
 EDUCATION  PROGRAM  PURSUANT  TO  SECTION FORTY-FOUR HUNDRED TEN OF THIS
 CHAPTER, APPROVED PRIVATE RESIDENTIAL OR NON-RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL FOR  THE
 EDUCATION OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES INCLUDING PRIVATE SCHOOLS ESTAB-
 LISHED  UNDER  CHAPTER EIGHT HUNDRED FIFTY-THREE OF THE LAWS OF NINETEEN
 HUNDRED SEVENTY-SIX, OR STATE-SUPPORTED SCHOOL IN ACCORDANCE WITH  ARTI-
 CLE EIGHTY-FIVE OF THIS CHAPTER.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

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