,i #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ggih ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,march #d1 #bjbf,ms4 ,moore of ,wisconsin 7for herself1 ,ms4 ,scholten1 and ,ms4 ,garcia of ,texas7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,education and ,workforce ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife to provide grants to hire and retain school social workers1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,school ,social ,workers ,improving ,student ,success ,act4 #b4 ,school ,social ,worker ,grants 7a7 ,purposes ,the purpose of this ,act is to assist ,states and local educational agencies in hiring additional school social workers in order to increase access to mental health and other student support services to students in elementary and secondary schools in the ,united ,states to the minimum ratios recommended by the ,national ,association of ,social ,workers and the ,school ,social ,work ,association of ,america of #a school social worker for every #bej students1 and #a school social worker for every #ej students when a social worker is providing services to students with intensive needs4 7b7 ,,esea amendments 7#a7 ,in general ,subpart #d of part ,f of title ,,iv of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#aj ,u4,s4,c4 #gbga et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following new section3 #dfde4 ,grants for school social workers 7a7 ,grants authorized 7#a7 ,in general ,from the amounts appropriated under subsection 7g71 the ,secretary shall award grants to high-need local educational agencies to enable such agencies to retain school social workers employed by such agencies or to hire additional school social workers4 7#b7 ,duration ,a grant awarded under this section shall be awarded for a period not to exceed #d years4 7#c7 ,supplement1 not supplant ,funds made available under this section shall be used to supplement1 and not to supplant1 other ,federal1 ,state1 or local funds used for hiring and retaining school social workers4 7b7 ,application 7#a7 ,in general ,to be eligible to receive a grant under this section1 a high-need local educational agency shall submit to the ,secretary an application at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may require4 7#b7 ,contents ,an application submitted under paragraph 7#a7 shall include an assurance that each school social worker who receives assistance under the grant will provide the services described in subsection 7d71 and a description of the specific services to be provided by such social worker4 7c7 ,use of funds ,a high-need local educational agency receiving a grant under this section-- 7#a7 shall use the grant-- 7,a7 to achieve a ratio of not less than #a school social worker for every #bej students served by the agency1 by-- 7i7 retaining school social workers employed by such agency2 or 7ii7 7,i7 employing additional school social workers2 or 7,,ii7 hiring contractors to serve as school social workers only in a case in which-- 7aa7 the local educational agency demonstrates to the ,secretary that the agency-- 7,,aa7 has not been able to employ a sufficient number of school social workers under subclause 7,i7 to achieve such ratio despite strong and continuing efforts to recruit and employ school social workers2 and 7,,bb7 hiring contractors is the only viable option to ensure students have adequate access to school social work services2 and 7bb7 each such contractor meets the requirements of subparagraphs 7,a7 and 7,b7 of subsection 7h77#b72 and 7,b7 to ensure that each school social worker who receives assistance under such grant provides the services described in subsection 7d72 and 7#b7 may use the grant to reimburse school social workers who receive assistance under such grant for-- 7,a7 in the case of a school served by the agency in which the majority of students are higher risk students1 to hire or retain additional school social workers in accordance with clauses 7i7 and 7ii7 of paragraph 7#a77;,a7 to achieve a ratio of not less than #a school social worker for every #ej students2 7,b7 travel expenses incurred during home visits and other school-related trips2 7,c7 any additional expenses incurred by such social workers in rendering any service described in subsection 7d72 and 7,d7 the cost of clinical social work supervision for such social workers4 7d7 ,responsibilities of a school social worker ,a school social worker who receives assistance under a grant under this section shall provide the following services3 7#a7 ,identifying high-need students in each school that the social worker serves1 and targeting services provided at the school to such students4 7#b7 ,providing students in each school that the school social worker serves1 social work services to promote school engagement and improve academic outcomes1 including-- 7,a7 counseling and crisis intervention2 7,b7 trauma-informed services2 7,c7 evidence-based educational1 behavioral1 and mental health services 7such as implementing multi-tiered programs and practices1 monitoring progress1 and evaluating service effectiveness72 7,d7 addressing the social and emotional learning needs of students2 7,e7 promoting a school climate and culture conducive to student learning and teaching excellence 7such as promoting effective school policies and administrative procedures1 enhancing the professional capacity of school personnel1 and facilitating engagement between student1 family1 school1 and community72 7,f7 providing access to school-based and community based resources 7such as promoting a continuum of services1 mobilizing resources and promoting assets1 and providing leadership1 interdisciplinary collaboration1 systems coordination1 professional consultation1 and connecting students and families to resource systems72 7,g7 working with students1 families1 schools1 and communities to address barriers to educational attainment 7such as homelessness and housing insecurity1 lack of transportation1 food insecurity1 equity1 social justice issues1 access to quality education1 and school1 family1 and community risk factors72 7,h7 providing assistance to schools and teachers to design social-emotional1 educational1 behavioral1 and mental health interventions2 7,i7 case management activities to coordinate the delivery of and access to the appropriate social work services to the highest-need students2 7,j7 home visits to meet the family of students in need of social work services in the home environment2 7,k7 supervising or coordinating district level school social work services2 and 7,l7 other services the ,secretary determines1 in partnership with students1 educators1 and community member voices are necessary to be carried out by such a social worker4 7e7 ,grant renewal 7#a7 ,in general ,a grant awarded under this section may be renewed for additional periods with the same duration as the original grant period4 7#b7 ,continuing eligibility application ,to be eligible for a renewal under this section a high-need local educational agency shall submit to the ,secretary1 for each renewal1 a report on the progress of such agency in retaining and hiring school social workers to achieve the ratio of not less than #a school social worker for every #bej students served by the agency1 and shall include-- 7,a7 a description of the staffing expansion of school social workers funded through the original grant received under this section2 and 7,b7 a description of the work conducted by such social workers for higher risk students4 7f7 ,technical assistance 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall provide technical assistance to high-need local educational agencies1 including such agencies that do not have adequate staff1 in applying for grants under this section4 7#b7 ,extension of application period ,the ,secretary shall extend any application period for a grant under this section for any high-need local educational agency that-- 7,a7 submits to the ,secretary a written notification of the intent to apply for a grant under this section before requesting technical assistance under paragraph 7#a72 and 7,b7 after submitting the notification under paragraph 7#a71 requests such technical assistance4 7g7 ,authorization for appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section1 #ajj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbf through #bjcj4 7h7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,high-need local educational agency ,the term high-need local educational agency has the meaning given the term in section #bjj of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajba74 7#b7 ,school social worker ,the term school social worker means an individual who-- 7,a7 has a graduate degree in social work from a social work program that is accredited by the ,council on ,social ,work ,education2 and 7,b7 meets all other ,state and local credentialing requirements for practicing as a social worker in an elementary school or secondary school4 4 7#b7 ,table of contents ,the table of contents in section #b of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife is amended by inserting after the item relating to section #dfdd the following3 ,sec4 #dfde4 ,grants for school social workers4 4 #c4 ,national technical assistance center for school social work 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,education1 acting through the ,assistant ,secretary1 shall establish an evaluation1 documentation1 dissemination1 and technical assistance resource center to provide appropriate information1 training1 and technical assistance to ,states1 political subdivisions of ,states1 federally recognized ,indian tribes1 tribal organizations1 institutions of higher education1 ,state and local educational agencies1 and individual students and educators with respect to hiring and retaining school social workers at elementary schools and secondary schools served by local educational agencies4 7b7 ,responsibilities of the ,center ,the center established under subsection 7a7 shall conduct activities for the purpose of-- 7#a7 developing and continuing statewide or tribal strategies for improving the effectiveness of the school social work workforce2 7#b7 studying the costs and effectiveness of school social work programs at institutions of higher education to identify areas of improvement and provide information on relevant issues of importance to ,state1 tribal1 and national policymakers2 7#c7 working with ,federal agencies and other ,state1 ,tribal1 and national stakeholders to collect1 evaluate1 and disseminate data regarding school social work ratios1 outcomes and best practices of school-based mental health services1 and impact of expanding the number of school social workers within elementary schools and secondary schools2 and 7#d7 establishing partnerships among ,national1 ,state1 ,tribal1 and local governments1 and local educational agencies1 institutions of higher education1 non-profit organizations1 and ,state and national trade associations for the purposes of-- 7,a7 data collection and dissemination2 7,b7 establishing a school social work workforce development program2 7,c7 documenting the success of school social work methods on a national level2 and 7,d7 conducting other activities determined appropriate by the ,secretary4 7c7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,,esea terms ,except as otherwise provided1 any term used in this section that is defined in section #haja of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ghja7 shall have the meaning given that term in such section4 7#b7 ,school social worker ,the term school social worker has the meaning given the term in section #dfde7;h7 of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife1 as added by section #b7;b74