Bill Text: NY S02462 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Establishes the school mental health services program coordinator to provide qualifying public and nonpublic schools with mental health services professionals.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 3-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - REFERRED TO EDUCATION [S02462 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S02462-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          2462
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                    January 25, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sen.  AKSHAR -- 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  creating  a  school
          mental health services program coordinator
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 2801-c
     2  to read as follows:
     3    § 2801-c. New York state school mental health services program coordi-
     4  nator. 1. For purposes of this section, the term "school  mental  health
     5  services  program  coordinator"  shall  mean  a  mental  health services
     6  professional,  with  qualifications  determined  by  regulation  by  the
     7  commissioner,  whose  role  and  responsibility  shall  be  to work with
     8  students, faculty and other mental health and health care  professionals
     9  to identify, report and address mental health issues of students, facul-
    10  ty and administration at any public or non-public school that could pose
    11  a risk to public safety.
    12    2. Any public or non-public school may employ a mental health services
    13  professional,  in  either the classified or unclassified service, deter-
    14  mined in regulation by the commissioner to be  qualified,  as  a  mental
    15  health  services  program  coordinator.    Any such public or non-public
    16  school may also contract with the state of New  York,  a  county,  city,
    17  town  or village, or with a private mental health services provider, for
    18  the provision of a mental health services  professional,  determined  in
    19  regulation  by  the  commissioner  to be qualified, to serve as a mental
    20  health services program coordinator.
    21    3. The commissioner shall, by regulation, determine the qualifications
    22  for a mental health services  program  coordinator.  A  school  district
    23  shall  be  authorized  to  employ  or contract for as many mental health
    24  services program coordinators, as such  district  deems  necessary.  The
    25  commissioner  shall  by regulation, establish the mandatory reports, the
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD08827-01-9
        S. 2462                             2
     1  persons or entities with whom such  reports  shall  be  filed,  and  the
     2  treatment  services  that  may be offered or directed by a mental health
     3  services program coordinator.
     4    §  2.  Section  3602  of  the education law is amended by adding a new
     5  subdivision 5-b to read as follows:
     6    5-b. Mental health services  program  coordinator  aid.  Every  school
     7  district  employing  or  contracting for the services of a mental health
     8  services program coordinator, in either the classified  or  unclassified
     9  service,  in  accordance with section twenty-eight hundred one-c of this
    10  chapter, shall be entitled  to  a  payment  of  mental  health  services
    11  program  coordinator aid in the amount of the district's expenditure for
    12  the cost of  such  employment  or  contracting  of  such  mental  health
    13  services  program  coordinator.  But  in no event shall such aid to such
    14  school district be in excess of fifty  thousand  dollars  annually.  The
    15  mental health services program coordinator aid provided by this subdivi-
    16  sion  shall  be  limited  to  the payment for one mental health services
    17  program coordinator per school district.
    18    § 3. Section 3602-c of the education law is amended by  adding  a  new
    19  subdivision 11 to read as follows:
    20    11.  Aid  shall be made available to all non-public schools under this
    21  section, for mental health services program coordinators,  in  the  same
    22  manner as for public schools in subdivision five-b of section thirty-six
    23  hundred two of this article.
    24    § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.