Washington, D.C. – North Dakota U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer is sponsoring a bipartisan bill aimed at shoring up the number of mental health professionals working in schools nationwide.
The Mental Health Excellence in Schools Act is intended to encourage more people to become school psychologists, counselors and social workers.
The U.S. Department of Education would be authorized to help cover the cost of certain graduate programs to “boost the pipeline” for those training to enter the field.
“Like so many fields across the state, there simply aren’t enough school-based mental health professionals,” Cramer wrote in a statement.
“Ensuring our kids’ well-being and academic success should be our first priority. Our bill will alleviate the financial strain of earning a graduate degree by encouraging more practitioners to work in schools across the state.”
The National Association of School Psychologists recommends a ratio of one school psychologist per 500 students.
But according to the statement about the bill, that ratio is more than double nationally.
In North Dakota, schools are averaging one school psychologist per 1,204 students.
Cramer is joining New Hampshire Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Indiana Republican Senator Todd Young to introduce the measure.
The legislation has been endorsed by several groups, including the American School Counselor Association and the School Social Work Association of America.
