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Committee advances bill letting school counselors refer students to licensed mental-health providers amid parental-consent debate
Summary
A-1657 would allow school-based mental-health professionals to refer or facilitate referrals to licensed outside providers; sponsors say it smooths handoffs, while opponents and members raised concerns about how the measure interacts with existing minor-consent laws and parental notification.
The Assembly Education Committee advanced A-1657 after a lengthy exchange over parental notification and the reach of student-consent laws. The bill would permit student-assistance coordinators, school counselors, school psychologists and other school mental-health professionals to refer or facilitate referrals of students to licensed mental-health professionals outside the school.
Sponsor testimony said the bill's aim is to "make it seamless" for…
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