I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 559 
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct 
the Secretary of Education to make grants to States for assistance 
in hiring additional school-based mental health and student service pro-
viders. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 2, 2005 
Ms. LEE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to make 
grants to States for assistance in hiring additional 
school-based mental health and student service providers. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH AND STU-
DENT SERVICE PROVIDERS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subpart 14 of title V of the Ele-
mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
7269 et seq.) is amended—
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(1) by inserting after the subpart heading the 
following: 
‘‘CHAPTER A—SYSTEMS INTEGRATION; 
PROMOTION OF SCHOOL READINESS’’; 
and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘CHAPTER 
B—SCHOOL-BASED 
MENTAL 
HEALTH AND STUDENT SERVICE PRO-
VIDERS 
‘‘SEC. 5545. FINDINGS. 
‘‘Congress finds the following: 
‘‘(1) The Surgeon General of the Public Health 
Service has found that although 1 in 10 children 
and adolescents suffer from mental illness severe 
enough to cause some level of impairment, in any 
given year fewer than 1 in 5 of these children re-
ceives needed treatment. The short- and long-term 
consequences of untreated childhood mental dis-
orders are costly, in both human and fiscal terms. 
‘‘(2) School counselors, school social workers, 
and school psychologists are needed to help these 
children and to provide a variety of crucial support 
services. 
‘‘(3) Across the United States, there are insuffi-
cient resources for school-based counseling profes-
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sionals, and often students do not get the help they 
need. The current national average ratio of students 
to school counselors in elementary and secondary 
schools is 561 to 1. 
‘‘(4) United States schools need more mental 
health professionals, and they need the flexibility to 
hire the professionals that will best serve their stu-
dents. 
‘‘(5) According to the Institute of Medicine of 
the National Academy of Sciences, the maximum 
recommended ratio of— 
‘‘(A) students to school counselors is 250 
to 1; 
‘‘(B) students to school psychologists is 
1,000 to 1; and 
‘‘(C) students to school social workers is 
800 to 1. 
‘‘(6) In some States, 1 school counselor typi-
cally serves over 1,000 students. Ratios for school 
psychologists and school social workers are also ex-
tremely high. In some schools, no school-based men-
tal health and student service provider is available to 
assist students in times of crisis, or at any other 
time.
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‘‘(7) The number of students is expected to 
grow significantly over the next few years. During 
this time, many school-based mental health profes-
sionals who currently serve the Nation’s youth will 
retire. 
‘‘(8) Model programs using school-based mental 
health and student service providers have reduced 
school suspensions, reduced referrals to the prin-
cipal’s office, reduced the use of weapons, force, and 
threats, and increased students’ feelings of safety. 
‘‘SEC. 5546. PURPOSES. 
‘‘The purposes of this chapter are to assist States and 
local educational agencies in hiring additional school-based 
mental health providers, including additional school coun-
selors, school psychologists, and school social workers to 
achieve each of the following: 
‘‘(1) To reduce the ratios of school-based men-
tal health and student service providers to students 
in elementary and secondary schools in the United 
States to the following minimum ratios rec-
ommended by the Institute of Medicine of the Na-
tional Academy of Sciences in its 1997 report 
‘Schools and Health: Our Nation’s Investment’: 
‘‘(A) 1 school counselor for every 250 stu-
dents;
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‘‘(B) 1 school psychologist for every 1,000 
students; and 
‘‘(C) 1 school social worker for every 800 
students. 
‘‘(2) To provide school-based mental health and 
student services. 
‘‘(3) To remove emotional, behavioral, and psy-
chosocial barriers to learning so as to enhance stu-
dents classroom preparedness and ability to learn. 
‘‘(4) To support school staff and teachers in 
improving classroom management, conducting be-
havioral interventions to improve school discipline, 
and developing the awareness and skills to identify 
early warning signs of violence and the need for 
mental health services. 
‘‘(5) To support parental involvement in im-
proving the school behavior and academic success of 
their children. 
‘‘SEC. 5547. DEFINITIONS. 
‘‘In this chapter, the following definitions apply: 
‘‘(1) CHILD.—The term ‘child’ means an indi-
vidual who is not less than 5 years old and not more 
than 17 years old.