Hawaii-2018-SB224-Introduced

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that properly licensed school psychologists provide effective services to help children and youth succeed academically, socially, behaviorally, and emotionally by providing direct educational and mental health services for children and youth, as well as working with parents, educators, and other professionals to create supportive learning and social environments for all children.

Currently, Hawaii is the only state without certification of licensure for school psychologists. Without orderly licensing, the State cannot ensure that functioning school psychologists are properly qualified and delivering appropriate services. In addition, the State's failure to properly license school psychologists means that by law the State is unable to seek warranted reimbursements from the federal medicaid program for the use of school psychologists in an educational setting. Consequently, it is necessary to establish a licensure program to ensure the employment of qualified school psychologists and to allow schools utilizing school psychologists to properly seek available federal medicaid funds.

The legislature further finds that a proper licensing program requires establishing meaningful criteria and guidelines for the licensure of school psychologists. The National Association of School Psychologists' Standards for the Credentialing of School Psychologists provides a model upon which these guidelines may in part be based. The National Association of School Psychologists' Standards create a set of national standards that can serve to regulate the credentialing of school psychologists. School psychologists who hold a National Association of School Psychologists credential have met these national standards.

Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to establish the recommended criteria for the licensure of school psychologists, including graduate coursework, practica, and internship requirements based in part on the National Association of School Psychologists' Standards. The legislature finds that accredited school psychologists should be licensed by and register with the board of psychology to ensure the continued delivery of quality service to students and the community.

SECTION 2. Chapter 465, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new part to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"Part . School Psychologists

§465-A Definitions. As used in this part:

"Accredited educational institution" means a university or college accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges or a comparable regional body.

"Board" means the board of psychology.

"Practice of school psychology" means the application of principles, methods, and procedures of measurement, prediction, evaluation, testing, counseling, consultation, and instruction related to and consistent with the national standards articulated by the most current Model for Comprehensive and Integrated School Psychological Services as published by the National Association of School Psychologists or its successor in a school setting.

"School psychologist" means a professional licensed by the board as a school psychologist who provides school psychological services consistent with the national standards articulated by the most current Model for Comprehensive and Integrated School Psychological Services as published by the National Association of School Psychologists or its successor. "School psychologist" includes a school psychologist-doctoral and a school psychologist-specialist.

§465-B School psychologist; qualifications. No applicant shall be licensed to engage in the practice of school psychology unless the applicant meets the following requirements:

(1) A master's-level degree, specialist-level degree, or doctoral degree from an organized program of study in school psychology within an accredited educational institution comprising a minimum of sixty semester hours in the following course areas: data collection and analysis, assessment, progress monitoring, school-wide practices to promote learning, resilience and risk factors, consultation and collaboration, academic or learning interventions, mental health interventions, behavioral interventions, instructional support, prevention and intervention services, special education services, crisis preparedness, response and recovery, family-school-community collaboration, diversity in development and learning, research and program evaluation and professional ethics, school law and systems; and

(A) Has completed one thousand two hundred hours of supervised internship in school psychology with no less than six hundred hours completed within a school setting; and

(B) Has passed the School Psychology Praxis examination with a minimum score of one hundred forty-seven or the most current standard of the National Association of School Psychologists; or

(2) An individual who holds a current, unencumbered certification as a nationally certified school psychologist or holds a valid license or credential in school psychology in another state or United States territory prior to July 1, 2018; provided that for those employed as a school psychologist in Hawaii as of July 1, 2018, an out of state license or credential that has been expired for no more than ten years from July 1, 2018, will also be accepted.

Before any applicant shall be eligible for licensure under this part, the applicant shall file an application in a form as shall be prescribed by the board and pay to the board an application fee and all other applicable fees.

§465-C Description of services. A person practices as a school psychologist if the person delivers services to children and students from birth through college who are eligible to be enrolled in educational and intermediate educational units, special education programs, universities and colleges, early intervention programs, developmental centers, and approved private schools. School psychologists are limited to practicing within school settings and licensure does not allow for private practice.

§465-D Practice of school psychology; license required; registration required. (a) No person shall represent, announce, or advertise oneself, publicly or privately, as a school psychologist or affix any other words, letters, abbreviations, or insignia to the person's name indicating or implying that the person is engaged in the practice of school psychology, without having first obtained a license as provided in this part.

(b) A person may use the title of school psychologist provided that the person:

(1) Registers the person's name and business address biennially with the board in a manner prescribed by the board; and

(2) Meets the qualifications of section 465-B.

(c) The board shall maintain and biennially update a list of the names and business addresses of the school psychologists who are registered pursuant to subsection (b).

§465-E Advising the board of psychology. The board shall receive advice and review proposals from the Hawaii Association of School Psychologists regarding issues relating to school psychologists and the practice of school psychology."

SECTION 3. Chapter 465, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by designating sections 465-1 to 465-15, as part I and inserting a title before section 465-1, to read as follows:

"Part I. General Provisions"

SECTION 4. Section 465-4, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"§465-4 Board of psychology; appointment, qualifications, term, expenses. There is created a board of psychology consisting of [~~seven~~] nine members. There shall be five members representing varied specialties of the profession, each of whom shall be licensed to practice psychology under this chapter and have a minimum of five years of post-doctoral professional experience, two members who are licensed to practice school psychology under this chapter, and two lay members from the community at large. A lay member shall not be a psychologist, an applicant, or former applicant for licensure as a psychologist."

SECTION 5. This Act does not affect rights and duties that matured, penalties that were incurred, and proceedings that were begun before its effective date.

SECTION 6. In codifying the new sections added by section 2 of this Act, the revisor of statutes shall substitute appropriate section numbers for the letters used in designating the new sections in this Act.

SECTION 7. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 8. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2017.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	224
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2017
STATE OF HAWAII