I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7037 
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide 
grants to hire and retain school social workers, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 9, 2022 
Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin (for herself, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. BISHOP of 
Georgia, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. DANNY
K. DAVIS
of Illinois, Mr. 
CICILLINE, Ms. NORTON, and Ms. BASS) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 
A BILL 
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
of 1965 to provide grants to hire and retain school 
social workers, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘School Social Workers 
Improving Student Success Act’’. 
SEC. 2. SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKER GRANTS. 
(a) PURPOSES.—The purpose of this Act is to assist 
States and local educational agencies in hiring additional 
school social workers in order to increase access to mental 
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health and other student support services to students in 
elementary and secondary schools in the United States to 
the minimum ratios recommended by the National Asso-
ciation of Social Workers, the School Social Work Associa-
tion of America, and the American Council for School So-
cial Work of one school social worker for every 250 stu-
dents, and one school social worker for every 50 students 
when a social worker is providing services to students with 
intensive needs. 
(b) ESEA AMENDMENT.—Subpart 4 of part F of 
title IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
of 1965 (10 U.S.C. 7271 et seq.) is amended by adding 
at the end the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 4645. GRANTS FOR SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS. 
‘‘(a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—From the amounts appro-
priated under subsection (g), the Secretary shall 
award grants to high-need local educational agencies 
to enable such agencies to retain school social work-
ers employed by such agencies or to hire additional 
school social workers. 
‘‘(2) DURATION.—A grant awarded under this 
section shall be awarded for a period not to exceed 
4 years. 
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‘‘(3) SUPPLEMENT, NOT
SUPPLANT.—Funds 
made available under this section shall be used to 
supplement, and not to supplant, other Federal, 
State, or local funds used for hiring and retaining 
school social workers. 
‘‘(b) APPLICATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive a 
grant under this section, a high-need local edu-
cational agency shall submit to the Secretary an ap-
plication at such time, in such manner, and con-
taining such information as the Secretary may re-
quire. 
‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—An application submitted 
under paragraph (1) shall include an assurance that 
each school social worker who receives assistance 
under the grant will provide the services described in 
subsection (d), and a description of the specific serv-
ices to be provided by such social worker. 
‘‘(c) USE OF FUNDS.—A high-need local educational 
agency receiving a grant under this section— 
‘‘(1) shall use the grant— 
‘‘(A) to achieve a ratio of not less than 1 
school social worker for every 250 students 
served by the agency, by— 
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‘‘(i) retaining school social workers 
employed by such agency; or 
‘‘(ii)(I) employing additional school 
social workers; or 
‘‘(II) hiring contractors to serve as 
school social workers only in a case in 
which— 
‘‘(aa) the local educational agen-
cy demonstrates to the Secretary that 
the agency— 
‘‘(AA) has not been able to 
employ a sufficient number of 
school social workers under sub-
clause (I) to achieve such ratio 
despite strong and continuing ef-
forts to recruit and employ school 
social workers; and 
‘‘(BB) hiring contractors is 
the only viable option to ensure 
students have adequate access to 
school social work services; and 
‘‘(bb) each such contractor meets 
the requirements of subparagraphs 
(A) and (B) of subsection (h)(2); and 
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‘‘(B) to ensure that each school social 
worker who receives assistance under such 
grant provides the services described in sub-
section (d); and 
‘‘(2) may use the grant to reimburse school so-
cial workers who receive assistance under such grant 
for— 
‘‘(A) in the case of a school served by the 
agency in which the majority of students are 
higher risk students, to hire or retain additional 
school social workers in accordance with clauses 
(i) and (ii) of paragraph (1)(A) to achieve a 
ratio of not less than 1 school social worker for 
every 50 students; 
‘‘(B) travel expenses incurred during home 
visits and other school-related trips; 
‘‘(C) any additional expenses incurred by 
such social workers in rendering any service de-
scribed in subsection (d); and 
‘‘(D) the cost of clinical social work super-
vision for such social workers. 
‘‘(d) RESPONSIBILITIES OF A SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK-
ER.—A school social worker who receives assistance under 
a grant under this section shall provide the following serv-
ices: 
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