Bill Text: IL HB4397 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Enrolled

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Bill Title: Reinserts the contents of the bill as amended by House Amendment No. 1, with the following changes. Provides that the changes to the qualification requirements for a school psychologist apply beginning on July 1, 2027 (rather than the changes applying to a psychologist licensed on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act). Provides that to qualify as a school psychologist, the psychologist must (i) have graduated from an institution of higher learning that maintains equipment, courses of study, and standards of scholarship approved by the State Board of Education with (I) a qualifying master's degree, as determined by the State Board, with the completion of a minimum of 60 graduate semester hours, (II) a qualifying specialist degree, as determined by the State Board, (III) an equivalent degree, as determined by the State Board, with the completion of a minimum of 60 graduate semester hours, or (IV) a higher qualifying degree, as determined by the State Board (rather than with a specialist degree, an equivalent degree with the completion of a minimum of 60 graduate semester hours, or a higher degree in school psychology); (ii) have had supervised internship experience in the delivery of school psychological services of a character approved by the State Superintendent of Education on a full-time basis for at least one school year or, if applicable, on at least a half-time basis over 2 consecutive school years (rather than having had at least 1,200 clock hours of supervised experience in the delivery of school psychological services of a character approved by the State Superintendent, at least 600 hours of which were in a school setting); and (iii) have such additional qualifications as may be required by the State Board.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 11)

Status: (Enrolled) 2026-06-18 - Sent to the Governor [HB4397 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2025-HB4397-Enrolled.html

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HB4397 Enrolled LRB104 16299 AAS 29684 b
AN ACT concerning education.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Sections
14-1.09 and 14-1.09.1 as follows:
(105 ILCS 5/14-1.09) (from Ch. 122, par. 14-1.09)
Sec. 14-1.09. School psychologist. "School psychologist"
means a psychologist who meets the following qualifications:
(1) Until July 1, 2027, the The psychologist:
(A) has graduated with a master's or higher degree
in psychology or educational psychology from an
institution of higher learning that maintains
equipment, courses of study, and standards of
scholarship approved by the State Board of Education,
has had at least one school year of full-time
supervised experience in the delivery of school
psychological services of a character approved by the
State Superintendent of Education, and has such
additional qualifications as may be required by the
State Board of Education; or
(B) holds a valid Nationally Certified School
Psychologist (NCSP) credential.
(1.5) Beginning July 1, 2027, the psychologist:

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(A) (i) has graduated from an institution of
higher learning that maintains equipment, courses of
study, and standards of scholarship approved by the
State Board of Education with (I) a qualifying
master's degree, as determined by the State Board of
Education, with the completion of a minimum of 60
graduate semester hours, (II) a qualifying specialist
degree, as determined by the State Board of Education,
(III) an equivalent degree, as determined by the State
Board of Education, with the completion of a minimum
of 60 graduate semester hours, or (IV) a higher
qualifying degree, as determined by the State Board of
Education; (ii) has had supervised internship
experience in the delivery of school psychological
services of a character approved by the State
Superintendent of Education on a full-time basis for
at least one school year or, if applicable, on at least
a half-time basis over 2 consecutive school years; and
(iii) has such additional qualifications as may be
required by the State Board of Education; or
(B) holds a valid Nationally Certified School
Psychologist (NCSP) credential.
(2) The psychologist holds a Professional Educator
License with a school psychologist endorsement issued
pursuant to Section 21B-25 of this Code. Persons so
licensed may use the title "school psychologist" and may

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offer school psychological services which are limited to
those services set forth in 23 Ill. Adm. Code 226, Special
Education, pertaining to children between the ages of 3 to
21, promulgated by the State Board of Education.
School psychologists may make evaluations, recommendations
or interventions regarding the placement of children in
educational programs or special education classes. However, a
school psychologist shall not provide such services outside
his or her employment to any student in the district or
districts which employ such school psychologist.
(Source: P.A. 100-750, eff. 8-10-18.)
(105 ILCS 5/14-1.09.1)
Sec. 14-1.09.1. School psychological services.
(a) In the public schools, school psychological services
provided by qualified specialists who hold a Professional
Educator License endorsed for school psychology issued by the
State Board of Education may include, but are not limited to:
(1) providing assessments, including the following:
(A) administering and interpreting (i)
administration and interpretation of psychological,
and educational, psychoeducational, cognitive,
emotional, and behavioral evaluations;
(B) administering universal screenings; and
(C) using various other data-collection methods
that (i) identify and address student academic,

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social, emotional, developmental, mental, and
behavioral health needs, (ii) provide information
about an individual's eligibility for special
educational services, (iii) assess the risk of harm to
an individual or to others, and (iv) evaluate the
effectiveness of educational services and practices;
(2) creating and implementing prevention and
intervention services that support student learning,
promote safe learning environments, and address other
barriers to learning, including the following: (ii)
(A) developing school-based prevention programs,
including violence prevention programs; and
(B) facilitating the delivery of curricula,
instructional strategies, and school-wide, group, and
individual interventions that support student
achievement, student wellness, and student mental and
behavioral health;
(3) providing mental and behavioral health services,
including the following: (iii)
(A) conducting individual and group counseling
with students, parents, and teachers on educational
and mental health issues;
(B) developing and implementing school-wide,
group, and individual services that promote
social-emotional, mental, and behavioral health, as
well as pro-social and positive behaviors; and

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(C) conducting behavior assessments and
interventions;
(4) (iv) acting as liaisons between public schools and
community agencies;
(5) (v) evaluating program effectiveness;
(6) (vi) providing crisis prevention, response, and
intervention within the school setting;
(7) providing consultation and collaboration,
including the following: (vii)
(A) helping teachers, parents, and others involved
in the educational process to provide optimum teaching
and learning conditions for all students; and
(B) engaging in collaborative problem-solving on
an individual or systematic level in order to plan,
implement, and evaluate academic, mental health, and
behavioral health services, which may include
psychoeducation for students, families, school
personnel, and other relevant parties;
(8) (viii) supervising school psychologist interns
enrolled in school psychology programs that meet the
standards established by the State Board of Education; and
(9) (ix) screening of school enrollments to identify
children who should be referred for individual study; and
(10) developing any other necessary programs and
services, including the following:
(A) designing, implementing, and evaluating safe

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and supportive learning environments that are
educationally and psychologically sound;
(B) acting as a catalyst for educator and family
engagement in adaptations and innovations; and
(C) facilitating the psychoeducational development
of individual families and groups.
Nothing in this Section prohibits other qualified
professionals from providing those services listed for which
they are appropriately trained.
(b) The provision of school psychological services may
include the promotion of students' strengths, as well as the
identification and treatment of mental health disorders and
disabilities but may not include the prescription,
administration, or monitoring of pharmacological
interventions.
(c) A school psychologist may not provide school
psychological services outside of his or her employment to any
student in any school district that employs the school
psychologist.
(Source: P.A. 102-894, eff. 5-20-22.)