An Act relative to mental health counselors in schools
Generates a plain-language summary of the bill text and history.
| Date | Branch | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 1/15/2026 | House | Reporting date extended to Wednesday, March 18, 2026 |
| 11/20/2025 | Joint | Hearing scheduled for 12/02/2025 from 01:00 PM-02:00 PM in A-2 |
| 10/9/2025 | Joint | Hearing scheduled for 10/14/2025 from 11:00 AM-05:00 PM in Gardner Auditorium |
| 2/27/2025 | Senate | Senate concurred |
| 2/27/2025 | House | Referred to the committee on Education |
No additional cosponsors.
| Bill | Title | Status |
|---|---|---|
| H743 | An Act establishing a grant program to increase the presence of mental health counselors in schools | Active |
Chapter 71 of the General Laws, as amended by section 219 of chapter 238 of the acts of 2024, is here by further amended by adding the following section:
(a) For the purpose of this section, the following terms shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings: “School mental health counselor”, a person licensed or eligible for licensure as a mental health counselor under section 165 of chapter 112. “School psychologist”, a person licensed or eligible for licensure as a licensed educational psychologist under section 165 of chapter 112 who has been certified as a school psychologist by the department of education. (b) Subject to appropriation, each public school shall employ school mental health counselors or school psychologist that have been granted by the commissioner a provisional or standard certificate of employment, pursuant to section 38G, for grades 3 to 12. During the school year, a school mental health counselor or school psychologist shall have at least 1 meeting with each student to ensure that the student: (i) is aware the counselor or psychologist is available to them; (ii) becomes familiar with the counselor or psychologist; and (iii) understands that the counselor or psychologist is accessible to them for whenever they may need.
Chapter 71 of the General Laws, as amended by section 219 of chapter 238 of the acts of 2024, is here by further amended by adding the following section: Section 102. (a) For the purpose of this section, the following terms shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings: “School mental health counselor”, a person licensed or eligible for licensure as a mental health counselor under section 165 of chapter 112. “School psychologist”, a person licensed or eligible for licensure as a licensed educational psychologist under section 165 of chapter 112 who has been certified as a school psychologist by the department of education. (b) Subject to appropriation, each public school shall employ school mental health counselors or school psychologist that have been granted by the commissioner a provisional or standard certificate of employment, pursuant to section 38G, for grades 3 to 12. During the school year, a school mental health counselor or school psychologist shall have at least 1 meeting with each student to ensure that the student: (i) is aware the counselor or psychologist is available to them; (ii) becomes familiar with the counselor or psychologist; and (iii) understands that the counselor or psychologist is accessible to them for whenever they may need.