S-0920.1
SENATE BILL 5666
State of Washington
69th Legislature
2025 Regular Session
By Senators Slatter, Hasegawa, Nobles, and Valdez
Read first time 02/05/25. Referred to Committee on Higher Education & Workforce Development.
AN ACT Relating to establishing a public school-based mental health internship grant program; adding new sections to chapter 28B.77 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 school psychologists are an integral part of supporting student learning, mental health, and behavior to help students achieve academically, socially, behaviorally, and emotionally. School psychologists work to reduce barriers to student success by enhancing psychological and educational support, including specialized knowledge of students' rights. The national association of school psychologists recommends a maximum ratio of 500 students per school psychologist to provide a comprehensive range of school psychological services. There is a shortage of school psychologists in the state, which jeopardizes the state's ability to provide essential services, such as direct behavioral health services, and to provide support to students, schools, and communities. Data indicates that shortages of school psychologists will persist into the future and that there is an insufficient number of credentialed school psychology graduates produced by the state's higher education institutions to fill existing gaps. The legislature further finds that initiatives designed to promote and support the education and preparation of school psychologists can help mitigate this shortage, such as increasing the availability of high-quality internships. Research and best practice show that after three years of employment within a school, school psychologists become embedded in their community, resulting in lower turnover within the profession.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28B.77 RCW to read as follows: