Advocacy Action Center

TAKE ACTION NOW!

This bill proposes to expand graduation pathways to include performance based learning experiences which may be more meaningful for some students with disabilities. We as an association support this bill.

URGENT ADVOCACY ACTION REQUEST: Click here to contact your State Senator Today!

Senate Bill 5315

This bill proposes to increase oversight for Non Public Schools providing special education services around the use of restraint and isolation, enrollment, establishing a complaint process with OSPI, and other protections. We as an association support this bill.

URGENT ADVOCACY ACTION REQUEST: Click here to contact your State Representatives Today!

ABOUT ADVOCACY ACTION STEPS

Who: WSASP's Government and Public Relations (GPR) committee has been hard at work in Olympia, and now we need your vital contribution and active support!

What: Advocate for your self, your field, and kids! Contact your representatives TODAY about the below-mentioned important issues! Your representatives value your opinion as a constituent, and the more of us they hear from, the louder our collective voice!

When: The legislature is in session. As bills cycle through the process and move to a vote from the entire legislative body, we will alert you to action through our member email system. When the time is right for each bill, the Form Letter Link will be activated, and you will get an email reminder to take action!

Where: Thanks to NASP, you will only have to send the message once to get to all three representatives based on your home address, and we will be able to pull data about how many of us are taking action!

Why: With more letters of support and phone calls from all stakeholders and professionals in school psychology and allied fields, the legislators in the House and Senate will be informed and can realize the wide range of importance these issues represent. If we are not at the table, we are on the menu!

How: You can contact your legislators today. You can submit public comment via the legislative website (see directions below, via NASP, directly with an email address, or via Our Voice, through WEA (Click here for a step by step tutorial on how to use Our Voice to email your representatives). The GPR Committee will provide form letters as appropriate for each bill of interest to WSASP. When these letters are made available, you can use them exactly, add personal stories or comments, or write an original letter to submit to your legislators. Once your letter is ready, using NASP's Advocacy Action Center, you can send it to all your state representatives with one click. We ask that you send one letter for each bill, as this is how representatives prefer communication, and it keeps our message clear.

2021 Legislative Session Summary

Click here for a review of all legislation WSASP tracked this session as well as actions taken and the outcomes of each bill.

Self-Advocacy Toolkit

Your Government and Public Relations (GPR) Committee has compiled our favorite and most effective tools to promote the role of school psychologist in our day-to-day work. The information will provide reminders for communication essentials, develop an advocacy message, and provide a framework for implementing change, no matter how big or small. Click here to access the Self-Advocacy Toolkit, and be sure to share your experiences with us at gpr@wsasp.org, or on social media using the hashtag #WSASPadvocatestoo!

Self-Advocacy

HOW ARE SCHOOLS FUNDED?

Information about the Washington Prototypical School Funding Model for School Psychologists

The OSPI Staffing Enrichment Workgroup is tasked with making recommendations for reducing educational opportunity gaps in Washington State. The group’s first directive was to make recommendations for the Prototypical School Funding Model. A report with recommendations was released during the fall, and was of concern to many WSASP members. Click here to access an article providing clarification and understanding about what the Prototypical School Funding Model is, how school psychologist roles are typically funded, and the advocacy work that WSASP is engaged in on this topic.

TIPS AND TRICKS

Click here for a description of how a bill becomes a law (it is not so direct of a process as we were taught in middle school...)
See the State Advocacy page for instructions on how to submit a public comment on these bills or any others of interest.
Click here for more resources on Advocacy.

Did you contact your representative(s)? Let us know!

We want to know how BIG our impact is!

Click Here to Tell us