Sen. Salis Batani advances bill to license school psychologists, citing rising student mental-health needs

Sen. Salis Batani, sponsor of Bill 295-38, urged colleagues to adopt a formal licensure framework for school psychologists, saying Guam schools are seeing “a sharp increase in students experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma responses” and that establishing standards will protect students and improve continuity of care. The bill would add a new Article 12A to Chapter 12, Title 10 of the Guam Code Annotated to define school psychology as an allied health profession, set qualifications, and add grandfathering for existing Guam Department of Education professionals.

Supporters on the floor emphasized that testimony from educators, Guam DOE staff and mental-health professionals showed growing behavioral and emotional needs among students since the pandemic. Sen. Batani told the legislature the bill was developed with the Guam Department of Education and the Guam Board of Allied Health Examiners and credited input from Dennis Mohot of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. She said the draft was strengthened by amendments adopted on the floor to clarify definitions, scope, title protection and referral duties.

The amendments adopted on the floor include: revising the definition of school psychology to cover educational settings (rather than only the public-school system); adding a scope-and-limits provision (12A1203) that confines practice to school-based assessments, consultation, behavioral interventions and crisis response and specifies that the article does not authorize independent clinical practice; adding title-protection language (12A1204); and a referral requirement (12A1205) obligating school psychologists who identify students with severe psychiatric or behavioral conditions beyond the educational scope to refer them to licensed health or behavioral-health professionals. Sponsor and supporters stressed that the referral provision preserves the school psychologist’s ability to provide crisis response and coordination while ensuring higher-level clinical care is sought when needed.

Floor debate cited workforce challenges and the need for grandfathering provisions to avoid disrupting services for students already receiving support. Lawmakers referenced training and practicum requirements in the bill, including a mention during floor statements of a 1,200-hour minimum practicum requirement in school settings for licensure candidacy. Sen. Batani closed by reminding colleagues of the human stakes; she recounted a personal anecdote about a student who died by suicide and asked lawmakers, “We simply need to act.”

The sponsor added several colleagues as co-sponsors and moved the measure to the voting file; the motion carried by unanimous consent with no recorded roll-call vote. The bill will appear on the legislature’s voting calendar for a final disposition.