WASSW Advocacy in Action!

Did you know two WASSW members testified on WA Senate Bill 5369 January 29th? This bill improves the definition of school social work in WA State law and slightly improves our allocation in the prototypical school funding model, BUT (and it was a huge one) it also allows and encourages non-ESA social workers to potentially be employed by districts as mental health providers and/or have student placement without clear supervision by a school social worker. WASSW, WEA and our fellow ESA colleagues (school psychs and school counselors) joined together to register our opposition to section 4 of this bill. We need clarity on the difference between master level social workers and ESA school social workers. We were united in protection of what ESA SSW has to offer our students as district employees. We support community partner social work providers, but if hired by districts they need to have an ESA!

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