[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 58 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 58

  Designating the week of March 1 through March 8, 2009, as ``School 
                          Social Work Week''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 26, 2009

Mr. Whitehouse (for himself, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Kerry, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. 
Brown, Mr. Lautenberg, Mrs. Murray, Mrs. Lincoln, Mr. Kennedy, and Mr. 
Feingold) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Designating the week of March 1 through March 8, 2009, as ``School 
                          Social Work Week''.

Whereas the Senate has recognized the importance of school social work through 
        the inclusion of school social work programs in the current 
        authorizations of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 
        (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.);
Whereas school social workers serve as vital members of a school's educational 
        team, playing a central role in creating partnerships between the home, 
        school, and community to ensure student academic success;
Whereas school social workers are especially skilled in providing services to 
        students who face serious challenges to school success, including 
        poverty, disability, discrimination, abuse, addiction, bullying, divorce 
        of parents, loss of a loved one, and other barriers to learning;
Whereas there is a growing need for local educational agencies to offer the 
        mental health services that school social workers provide when working 
        with families, teachers, principals, community agencies, and other 
        entities to address students' emotional, physical, and environmental 
        needs so that students may achieve behavioral and academic success;
Whereas to achieve the goal of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 
        107-110) of helping all children reach their optimal levels of potential 
        and achievement, including children with serious emotional disturbances, 
        schools must work to remove the emotional, behavioral, and academic 
        barriers that interfere with student success in school;
Whereas fewer than 1 in 5 of the 17,500,000 children in need of mental health 
        services actually receive these services, and research indicates that 
        school mental health programs improve educational outcomes by decreasing 
        absences, decreasing discipline referrals, and improving academic 
        achievement;
Whereas school mental health programs are critical to early identification of 
        mental health problems and in the provision of appropriate services when 
        needed;
Whereas the national average ratio of students to school social workers 
        recommended by the School Social Work Association of America is 400 to 
        1; and
Whereas the celebration of ``School Social Work Week'' highlights the vital role 
        school social workers play in the lives of students in the United 
        States: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) designates March 1 through March 8, 2009, as ``School 
        Social Work Week'';
            (2) honors and recognizes the contributions of school 
        social workers to the successes of students in schools across 
        the Nation; and
            (3) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
        ``School Social Work Week'' with appropriate ceremonies and 
        activities that promote awareness of the vital role of school 
        social workers, in schools and in the community as a whole, in 
        helping students prepare for their futures as productive 
        citizens.
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