WE NEED YOUR ACTION TO ADVOCATE FOR OUR PROFESSION!
Join us! The Washington Association of School Social Workers Legislative Action Committee (LAC) has put together a tool kit for each and every one of you to use to reach out to your Representatives!
This is a critical time in our profession as we re-emerge from the pandemic and school districts have access to funding for providing mental health services in schools. We also face an active legislative session with bills addressing the mental health crisis in schools. NOW is the time to meet with Reps to accomplish three goals:
Please! contact your legislator and set up a meeting! (INCLUDE THEIR LEGISLATIVE ASSISTANT!) click here to find your Representatives
Use these tools!
During your meeting:
Send a follow up thank you email including all the links and attachments you described or discussed during your meeting. INCLUDE THEIR LEGISLATIVE ASSISTANT!
Let us know how it went!!! Complete this quick 2 minute form to provide feedback
Thank you!
Join us! The Washington Association of School Social Workers Legislative Action Committee (LAC) has put together a tool kit for each and every one of you to use to reach out to your Representatives!
This is a critical time in our profession as we re-emerge from the pandemic and school districts have access to funding for providing mental health services in schools. We also face an active legislative session with bills addressing the mental health crisis in schools. NOW is the time to meet with Reps to accomplish three goals:
- Build a proactive relationship
- Increase visibility of our profession
- Partner around upcoming bills during the 2022 session (beginning in January!)
Please! contact your legislator and set up a meeting! (INCLUDE THEIR LEGISLATIVE ASSISTANT!) click here to find your Representatives
Use these tools!
- Script to reach out to your Representative - (copy/paste and make your own!)
- One-page flier highlighting the strengths our profession brings to students and families
- An Informational Guide for Educators: School Social Workers in WA State
- School Social Worker's Role in Addressing Student Mental Health Needs and Increasing Academic Achievement
During your meeting:
- Introduce yourself and your role in your school/district
- Share your screen and highlight the one-pager document and drop in the chat both the links above (the info guide and the Resolution Statement)
- Highlight that WA State PTA's number one legislative priority is to increase funding for school social workers, nurses, counselors and psychologists.
- Currently our state funds school social workers at a ratio of 1: 9,523 students (elementary); 1:72,000 (middle school); 1:40,000 (high school) far behind that of our other ESA profession counterparts.
- Ask about any upcoming bills they may know of that are related to education and mental health
- Ask how you can support and partner with them on upcoming bills?
Send a follow up thank you email including all the links and attachments you described or discussed during your meeting. INCLUDE THEIR LEGISLATIVE ASSISTANT!
Let us know how it went!!! Complete this quick 2 minute form to provide feedback
Thank you!
Photo used under Creative Commons from jimbowen0306