What's happening
This bill requires regulations to certify various school mental health professionals for pupil personnel services in New York schools.
Why it matters
Expands recognized roles in schools. By explicitly including school mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychoanalysts, and creative arts therapists, the bill broadens the range of professionals eligible to provide pupil personnel services, potentially increasing access to specialized mental health support for students.
Sets clear professional standards. The requirement for these professionals to be licensed under Article 163 ensures that only practitioners who meet established educational and professional criteria can serve in these roles, promoting higher standards of care and accountability in schools.
Addresses student mental health needs. As New York schools face increasing student mental health challenges, this bill could help districts recruit from a wider pool of qualified mental health practitioners, improving the ability to respond to diverse student needs and potentially reducing gaps in mental health services.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Add Mental Health to Schools
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to education
- Referred to education
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Add Mental Health Staff Certification
In Senate Committee · Education · Sponsor Carl L. Marcellino
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
981
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 10, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. NOLAN, SEPULVEDA -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to requiring the commissioner to issue regulations to include school mental health practitioners in a certificate valid for pupil personnel services
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 305 of the education law is amended by adding a new subdivision 56 to read as follows:
56. The commissioner shall issue regulations to include a school mental health counselor, school marriage and family therapist, school psychoanalyst and a school creative arts therapist in a certificate valid for pupil personnel services.
In addition to any other requirement for certificate established in regulations, a candidate for a certificate established by this subdivision shall be registered and hold a valid license pursuant to article one hundred sixty-three of this chapter.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law; provided, however, that effective immediately the department of education is authorized to promulgate any and all rules and regulations and to take any other measures necessary to implement this act on or before such effective date.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01263-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.