H-1200.2
HOUSE BILL 1900
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State of Washington | 64th Legislature | 2015 Regular Session |
By Representatives Ortiz-Self, Johnson, Orwall, Muri, Lytton, Tarleton, Pollet, and Bergquist
Read first time 02/02/15. Referred to Committee on Education.
AN ACT Relating to defining the role of the school counselor, social worker, and psychologist; adding a new section to chapter
28A.320 RCW; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that students' unmet mental health needs pose barriers to learning and development, and ultimately student success in school. The legislature further finds that the need to identify and assist students struggling with emotional and mental health needs has reached a serious level statewide. In order to prioritize students' needs first, the legislature finds that the persons most qualified in the school setting to lead the effort in addressing this epidemic are the school counselor, social worker, and psychologist.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28A.320 RCW to read as follows:
The primary role of school counselors, social workers, and psychologists is to focus on student mental health, work with at-risk and marginalized students, perform risk assessments, and collaborate with mental health professionals. The majority of a school counselor's, social worker's, or psychologist's time should be spent in direct student contact: Identifying, collaborating, and intervening to meet the mental health needs of all students.
The school counselor also works with developing and delivering a guidance curriculum, and the school psychologist also delivers testing. In order that school counselors and psychologists have the time available to prioritize these functions, in addition to other activities requiring direct student contact, responsibilities such as data monitoring and data input should be handled by nonlicensed, noncertified staff, where possible.
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