Maryland House And Senate Take Steps To Hire More School Psychologists

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — School psychologists provide a fundamental service for developing minds throughout America, but Maryland has often been short of the necessary number. Now, the Maryland House and Senate are taking steps to add more psychologists to schools throughout the state.

House Bill 340 and Senate Bill 238 aim to enter Maryland into the School Psychologist Interstate Licensure Compact to allow school psychologists with licenses to work in member states, effectively increasing the number of potential candidates for these positions in Maryland.

Del. Bernice Mireku-North of Montgomery County is among the sponsors in the House, while Sen. Malcolm Augustine of Prince George’s County also sponsored the bill in the Senate. Though the Maryland House and Senate have introduced bills, the legislation has not yet been fully passed in both chambers.

Additionally, the bill’s synopsis explains that it would focus on “establishing requirements for multistate licensure,” further helping to increase the number of qualified school psychologists eligible to work in Maryland.

The shortage of available education professionals in Maryland includes teachers, aides and even psychologists. By joining the School Psychologist Interstate Licensure Compact, Maryland could eventually have enough psychologists to meet every student’s needs.

According to the HB0340 webpage, the House delegates sponsoring the bill include, “Mireku-North, Acevero, Addison, Amprey, Conaway, Feldmark, Forbes, Guyton, Harrison, Hornberger, Hutchinson, Kaufman, Lehman, Lewis, Miller, Moreno, Pasteur, Phillips, Queen, Reilly, Roberson, Ruff, Ruth, Taylor and Wims.”

Why Does Maryland Need More School Psychologists?

Maryland’s latest legislation comes at a time when mental health issues are commonly reported to be at an all-time high among young people. Offering access to school psychologists and counseling helps children work through the problems they face in everyday life, and they can also help students feel heard in a safe environment.

Not all children feel comfortable speaking about delicate topics like mental health with their parents. According to the Pew Research Center, “80% of parents say they’re extremely or very comfortable talking to their teen about their teen’s mental health. Smaller shares of teens (52%) feel the same way.”

Social media and COVID-19 have played a major role in many people’s mental health struggles, though individual circumstances, like poverty and bullying, can also have an effect.

Every child struggling mentally has their own unique problems, further emphasizing the need for more readily available psychologists and counselors who can work with children who come from all walks of life.

The recommended number of psychologists in each school is one for every 500 children, according to the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). Many schools throughout Maryland have only one psychologist for every 1,000 students, according to NASP, so hiring additional staff would help with the shortage.

To learn more about Maryland’s proposed legislation, visit the HB0340 webpage.

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