Advocacy Action Center

2023 National School Psychologist Week (NSPW) Virtual Fall Conference Postcard Campaign

1. Access our virtual postcard campaign to send a message to all six of your elected officials in one click!

2. Click here to access a printable letter with NSPW letterhead to send to your representatives. You can use the existing message from WSASP, or click here for a blank template and add your own typed or handwritten message!

We are encouraging everyone to send a hard copy through the mail, as this does have a different impact compared to an email, but any and all contacts are great!

What to include in your message:

Always include your return address as proof that you are a constituent.
All participants, in person and remote, will need to look up the mailing address for your representatives to put on your messages. Below are resources to help you find that information:

Use the District Finder to find your State Legislators. (Click here for a full tutorial)

Find your Federal Legislators here.

OSPI Mailing Address:
Mail stop: 47200
Old Capitol Building
P.O. Box 47200
Olympia, WA 98504-7200

Postcard statement for Online Participants:

I am a school psychologist. I promote students’ mental health and academic learning. I help teachers meet the needs of their students. I work with parents to support their children’s school success. I partner with administrators to evaluate data and implement effective systems and interventions. The NASP Practice Model is my framework for effective service delivery in the school context. Stand up for Washington’s students by supporting mental health services in schools.

I am also a school-based mental health provider. Current data estimates that one in five children will experience a significant mental health issue each year, and only about 20% of those students who need care will receive it. Students are more likely to seek help if these services are in schools. Please support legislation that will strengthen the work of school psychologists!

I provide essential services to staff and students every day. Washington is facing a critical shortage of school psychologists, at a time when our students need psychological services more and more. We have estimated that we need to double our work force in order to provide comprehensive psychological services that our students need. Support legislation to recruit and retain high quality school psychologists to address this shortage and get our students the services they need. Please support legislation providing National Board Parity for Nationally Certified School Psychologists to help schools recruit and retain people like me.

As a school psychologist, I also stand for social justice for all of my students. School psychologists provide culturally responsive services to students and families from diverse backgrounds. Please support policies and legislation that help all students succeed, such as those supporting the rights of LGBTQ+ students, equitable access to education regardless of race or zip code, and fair discipline practices.

Thank you for your time and your support. Please contact me for more information about the topics I mentioned in this letter and thank you for serving my community.

TAKE ACTION NOW!

House Bill 1308

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.

2022 Fall Conference Postcard Campaign

What to include in your message:

1. Your return address (to prove you are a constituent, important!)

2. Mailing address of your representative (see below for resources to find your representatives, write a postcard to each!)

State Legislators: https://app.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder
Click for a full tutorial: How to Find Your Legislator

Federal Legislators: https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member

OSPI Mailing Address:
Mail stop:47200
Old Capitol Building
P.O. Box 47200
Olympia, WA 98504-7200

3. Your own advocacy message (to raise awareness of school psychologists to powerful stakeholders). You can write your own, or you can use one of these messages:

Stand up for Washington’s students! Support legislation placing one school psychologist in every school in Washington!

School psychologists help children overcome barriers to learning so they can be successful at school, home, and throughout life. Please support appropriate school psychologist staffing ratios so we can be even more effective!

Stand up for Washington’s students by supporting mental health services in schools. Please support legislation that will strengthen the work of school psychologists!

Stand up for Washington’s students by supporting legislation to promote increased access to school-employed mental health professionals so children get the help they need to learn and graduate.

School psychologists provide essential services to staff and students every day. Please support legislation providing National Board Parity for Nationally Certified School Psychologists.

School psychologists provide culturally responsive services to students and families from diverse backgrounds. Please support policies that help my students succeed!

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!

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