Bill Text: NJ S2786 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires local boards of education to employ certain number of staff with expertise in student mental health.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-02-15 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee [S2786 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-S2786-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator ANGELA V. MCKNIGHT
District 31 (Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Requires local boards of education to employ certain number of staff with expertise in student mental health.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning school psychologists and licensed schools counselors and supplementing chapter 27 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The board of education of a school district shall, at a minimum, employ and assign on a full-time basis to each school within the district at least two staff members with professional expertise in student mental health. For each school with student enrollment above 500, the board shall employ and assign on a full-time basis additional staff members with professional expertise in student mental health in a manner that is proportional to student enrollment.
Persons eligible to fulfill this requirement shall include licensed school counselors and school psychologists.
b. As used in this section:
"Licensed school counselor" means a person who holds a New Jersey standard educational services certificate with a school counselor endorsement.
"School psychologist" means a person who holds a New Jersey standard educational services certificate with a school psychologist endorsement.
2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall first apply in the first full school year following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires local boards of education to employ and assign on a full-time basis to each school within the school district at least two staff members with professional expertise in student mental health. Persons eligible to fulfill this requirement include licensed school counselors and school psychologists. The bill further provides that, for each school with student enrollment above 500, the board is required to employ and assign on a full-time basis additional staff members with professional expertise in student mental health in a manner that is proportional to student enrollment.
