A 8390: 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.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8390 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY May 13, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. GONZALEZ-ROJAS, SIMON, EACHUS, BENDETT, DE LOS SANTOS, R. CARROLL, WILLIAMS, ZINERMAN, TAYLOR, SAYEGH, FORREST, REYES, SHIMSKY, RAGA, LUNSFORD -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education 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 
 A. 8390 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.