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HARRISBURG, PA (Jan. 17, 2024) — Four school mental health specialists told state lawmakers today that more school nurses, counselors, psychologists, and social workers are needed to meet the significant mental health needs of Pennsylvania’s 1.7 million students.
The specialists, respected practitioners and leaders in PSEA’s Department of Pupil Services, testified before the Pennsylvania House Education Committee. They said that better pay and policies such as scholarships and internship stipends are needed to attract more people to these important professions.
Dr. Adam Oldham, a high school counselor in the Big Spring District and president of PSEA’s School Counselor Section, said that student mental health has hit crisis levels across the state. There has been a significant increase in the percentage of young people who seriously considered suicide, made a suicide plan, and attempted suicide, Oldham said. Yet ratios of school counselors to students trail recommendations, especially in low-wealth school districts.
“The American School Counselor Association recommends a student to school counselor ratio of 250-to-1,” Oldham said. “In Pennsylvania, the median ratio is 353-to-1. Half of all Pennsylvania school buildings have ratios higher than 350-to-1, with one of every 10 buildings having ratios of 500 or more students to a single school counselor.”
Oldham urged lawmakers to adopt House Bill 1665, known as the Pennsylvania School Counseling Services Act. This bill would require school districts to create a written, public-facing overview of their K-12 school counseling program and set guidelines that at least 80% of a school counselor’s time be used for delivering services to students.
Student to school nurse ratios are also a concern, with a 60-year-old state law requiring one nurse for every 1,500 students, said Rebecca Kilfoy, a nationally certified school nurse in the Owen J. Roberts School District and vice president of PSEA’s School Nurse Section.
“Children’s needs have certainly changed over the last 60 years,” Kilfoy said. “Even since I started my career as a school nurse, my caseload has become increasingly complex, and acuity has increased exponentially.
“Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that more than 40% of school-aged children in the United States have at least one chronic health condition — asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, obesity, and food allergies. School nurses are more than Band-Aids and ice packs, and they are needed in every building.”
On top of understaffing issues, school districts across Pennsylvania are also struggling to fill open pupil services positions amid shortages, as several of the testifiers noted.
Dr. David Lillenstein, a school psychologist in the Derry Township School District and president of PSEA’s School Psychologists Section, noted that there are school districts that simply can’t find any candidates for open school psychologist positions.
He and the other testifiers urged lawmakers to fund student scholarships, stipends for internship programs, and other measures to expand the pipeline of professionals.
“With more school psychologists and better ratios, there is more time for prevention activities that can reduce bullying, build student resilience, increase prosocial skills, and develop acceptable coping strategies,” Lillenstein said.
Angelina Romano, a school social worker in the South Middleton School District and president of PSEA’s School Social Workers Section, said that if lawmakers are serious about addressing student mental health needs, they must be serious about staffing.
“I urge policymakers to prioritize long-term investments that allow public schools to employ and retain highly trained professionals committed to the long-term success of students and schools,” Romano said. “Policymakers should also prioritize incentives such as scholarships and loan forgiveness to make school-based practice more attractive for social workers and other professionals. Doing so will ensure reliable mental health support for students in an environment where they already spend a significant amount of time.”
Read the full testimony at www.psea.org/testimony.
