Advocacy

 

ASPP’s Advocacy Committee and You

The purpose of the ASPP Advocacy Committee is to engage in advocacy on behalf of children, their families, and the profession of school psychology in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. ASPP’s Advocacy Committee provides collective voice for professional concerns and dissemination of information and unified power in soliciting the assistance of State legislators and regulatory agencies, and in making known the needs and opinions of school psychologists as it relates to enhancing services to the children and families of Pennsylvania.

There are several ways in which we as an organization advocate. One method is by contacting our State Legislators. In order to insure that our voice is heard, the ASPP Legislative Committee may ask for your assistance when legislation is before the PA General Assembly. You would receive an email asking you to check the website where information on the legislation, ASPP’s response suggestions for how to advocate. If you are unsure as to who your legislator is or how to contact them please use the following link: www.legis.state.pa.us 


 
Julia Szarko, Sen. Casey, Jason Pedersen
 

In the top right corner of the PA General Assembly Homepage there is a field in which you enter your zip code and click “GO”. A page then appears listing all of the PA Senate and House members for your zip code. Simply click on the representative’s name and it will take you to his/her webpage that contains all of the contact information.
 
Additionally, you can visit the NASP Advocacy Page
 
What Can You Do?
As school psychologists, we need to make our value known. We cannot rest on the laurels that our profession is safe. In these difficult times, now more than ever, with budget cuts and freezes, we need to demonstrate our utility and effectiveness in school systems. There are many ways to participate in advocacy for school psychology. A few ideas include:

  • Create a School Psychology website for your district.
  • Present at a faculty, parent – teacher association, or school board meeting about school psychology. Materials and resources are available through NASP.
  • Take the opportunity to meet your local state representatives. Watch for events in your area hosted by your representatives and be sure to attend. If anyone would like access to some materials to share with your representatives, please feel free to contact ASPP.
  • Invite local legislators to visit your schools. Many will provide lessons to students studying  Pennsylvania government.
NASP Practice Model Aligned Job Description
Pennsylvania has recently updated the Certification and Staffing Policy Guidelines (CSPG) to align with NASPs practice model. See how one school district adopted it for their School Psychologists job description.

 
ASPP's Advocacy in Action

  • Recommendations regarding SB 629