As you know, APA’s Council of Representatives will consider adopting the final draft of the Model Act for State Licensure of Psychologists (MLA) at their meeting in Washington, DC on February 19 – 21. If adopted in its current form, this MLA would allow use of the title “school psychologist” by those who are certified by their state education agency and hold doctoral degrees, but would restrict its use by those who do not hold doctoral degrees. NASP strongly opposes the restriction of the school psychologist exemption in the proposed MLA.
 
The APA Council of Representatives has the opportunity to reject the proposed MLA.  However, if APA adopts the MLA as is, NASP has plans in plans in place to assist state teams with strong and effective advocacy.  Working in conjunction with state leadership, all efforts will be made to block attempts to remove or restrict the school psychologist exemption in state laws or regulations.
 
Key Messages

Key NASP messages regarding the proposed MLA are now available at http://www.nasponline.org/standards/MLA%20Key%20Message_1-21-10_FINAL.pdf  We will be adding additional information in the coming weeks, including an updated Advocacy Roadmap for use by state school psychology associations.
 
Save the Date for NASP Webinars for State Action Planning!

Although APA’s MLA has no legal force by itself, it is a template for the state licensure of psychologists. If APA’s Council of Representatives adopts the MLA in its current form, it is expected to be introduced in states throughout the country. Thus, the title and services of non-doctoral school psychologists in credentialing laws and other critical areas of regulation will be at risk. We know that state school psychology leaders will want to be prepared to respond to possible actions that may occur in your state in the very near future. We invite you to participate in one of four national webinars that NASP will conduct to assist you with beginning your very important state action plans. Please select one of the webinars below that is best for your schedule and save the date:

Saturday, February 13: 4:00 pm EST
Monday, February 15: 3:00 pm EST
Monday, February 15: 7:00 pm EST
Tuesday, February 16: 9:30 pm EST

Each webinar will last approximately 45 minutes and will cover the same information. You will receive instructions and a link to the webinars in the next few days. Although we plan to record one of the sessions and have it available for later viewing on the NASP website, we strongly encourage you to participate in one of the live meetings if possible. GPR Regional Coordinators will be conducting interactive phone conferences within each of our 4 regions during the week following these webinars to offer further assistance. The regional phone conferences will provide a forum for state leaders and SPAN contacts to develop and share strategies and information with each other. Dates for follow-up phone calls will also be announced in the next few days.
 
State Association Contact with APA Council of Representatives

Many state leaders have asked what can or should be done to contact the APA Council of Representatives prior to their February 19-21 meeting. NASP will once again communicate our position to the APA Council of Representatives, prior to their February vote. It appears that there is no formal opportunity for individuals or groups to send comments to APA. Mass communication to the APA Council will not be helpful and is likely to be harmful. However, if you or other leaders in your state personally know an APA Council member(s), you may consider communicating individually and directly with that individual. Please note that from NASP’s perspective, it is vital that any communication with the Council of Representatives between now and the vote in February should be consistent with the key messages and resources found on our NASP website. It would be especially helpful if a state leader who is also an APA member could make an individual and direct contact with an APA Council member whom he or she personally knows. APA Council members are listed on the APA website at http://cust-cf.apa.org/cor/corlist.cfm
 
We look forward to working closely with you in the upcoming weeks and months in our mutual advocacy for school psychologists! If you have immediate questions or concerns, please feel free to contact John Kelly or myself, your GPR Regional Coordinator, or other NASP staff and leaders listed below.
 
Brent Duncan (GPR Chair) brentduncan@humboldt.edu   
John Kelly (GPR Co-Chair) jkellypsyc@aol.com
Barry Barbarasch (GPR Northeast Region Coordinator) barryeva@comcast.net
Jeanne Pound (GPR Southeast Region Coordinator)ejpound@aol.com
Sally Baas (GPR Central Region Coordinator) baas@csp.edu
Fulvia Franco, (GPR West Region Coordinator) fulvia.franco@jordan.k12.ut.us
Stacy Skalski (NASP Director of Public Policy) sskalski@naspweb.org
Amy Smith (NASP Program Manager, Advocacy) asmith@pattan.net
Kathy Pluymert (Credentialing Committee Chair) JKPluymert@aol.com
Joan Bohmann, (Assistance to States Committee Chair) jcb200850@yahoo.com
Nick Silvestri (Assistance to States Committee Co-Chair) nsilvestri@aacps.org
Patti Harrison, (NASP President) pharriso@bamaed.ua.edu