Bill Text: NY S00376 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: 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.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-1)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-08 - REFERRED TO EDUCATION [S00376 Detail]

Download: New_York-2025-S00376-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                           376

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                       (Prefiled)

                                     January 8, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sens.  BROUK,  ASHBY,  SALAZAR -- read twice and ordered
          printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on  Educa-
          tion

        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 63 to read as follows:
     3    63. 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

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01200-01-5
        S. 376                              2

     1  into consideration the specific needs of individual school districts and
     2  the region in which such school district is located.
     3    c.  For  purposes  of this subdivision, the following terms shall have
     4  the following meanings:
     5    (i) "school counselor" shall mean any personnel, licensed  and  certi-
     6  fied  by New York state as school counselor, hired to provide individual
     7  or group counseling assistance to students in the elementary, middle, or
     8  high school grades;
     9    (ii) "school social worker" shall mean  any  personnel,  licensed  and
    10  certified  by New York state as a school social worker, hired to provide
    11  individual or group counseling assistance to students in the elementary,
    12  middle, or high school grades; and
    13    (iii) "school psychologist" shall mean  any  personnel,  licensed  and
    14  certified  by  New York state as a school psychologist, hired to provide
    15  individual or group counseling assistance to students in the elementary,
    16  middle, or high school grades.
    17    § 2. Section 3602 of the education law is  amended  by  adding  a  new
    18  subdivision 21 to read as follows:
    19    21.  In  addition  to  the apportionments payable to a school district
    20  pursuant to this section,  the  commissioner  is  hereby  authorized  to
    21  apportion  to any school district additional aid pursuant to this subdi-
    22  vision for its approved expenditures in the base year for the employment
    23  of school counselors, school social workers and/or school psychologists.
    24  The commissioner shall annually prescribe  a  cost  allowance  for  such
    25  school counselors, school social workers and/or school psychologists and
    26  the approved expenditures shall not exceed such cost allowance.
    27    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.