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State board committee OKs publishing rule to add school social worker licensure and program standards
Summary
MSDE moved to publish COMAR changes to add school social workers as a defined licensure category and to include school social work within coordinated pupil services; board committee voted to publish after discussion about role distinctions and guidance.
The committee voted to publish proposed COMAR amendments to formally add school social workers to state licensure rules and to describe the role within coordinated pupil services for schools.
Mary Gable, MSDE’s Assistant State Superintendent for Student Support and Federal Programs, said social workers requested explicit recognition in COMAR and that MSDE has worked with practitioners across LEAs to define program expectations and credential requirements. The proposal references licensure through the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners and defines school social workers’ responsibilities in providing mental-health and family/home engagement supports as part of a coordinated pupil-services program.
Gable noted MSDE’s staffing data and explained why the regulation includes program components such as needs assessments, measurable goals for community schools and stakeholder engagement requirements for countywide plans.
Board members asked whether naming social workers as specialists in the licensure section could create confusion or overlap with counselors and psychologists. Mary Gable and other staff agreed to refine the language and to coordinate the COMAR guidance and outreach; the proposal will be published for public comment to gather broader feedback from pupil-services professionals.
The committee moved and seconded the motion to publish the regulation and approved the motion after members indicated assent.
