Definitions

In this Act: (1) Best practices The term best practices means a technique or methodology that, through experience and research related to professional practice in a school-based mental health field, has proven to reliably lead to a desired result. (2) Eligible graduate institution The term eligible graduate institution means an institution of higher education that offers a program of study that leads to a masters or other graduate degree— (A) in school psychology that is accredited or approved by the National Association of School Psychologists’ Program Approval Board (or its successor) or the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association and that prepares students in such program for the State licensing or certification examination in school psychology; (B) in school counseling that prepares students in such program for the State licensing or certification examination in school counseling; (C) in school social work that is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education and that prepares students in such program for the State licensing or certification examination in school social work; (D) in another school-based mental health field that prepares students in such program for the State licensing or certification examination in such field, if applicable; or (E) in any combination of study described in subparagraphs (A) through (D). (3) Eligible partnership The term eligible partnership means— (A) a partnership between 1 or more low-income local educational agencies and 1 or more eligible graduate institutions; or (B) in any region in which local educational agencies may not have a sufficient elementary school and secondary school student population to support the placement of all participating graduate students, a partnership between a State educational agency, on behalf of 1 or more low-income local educational agencies, and 1 or more eligible graduate institutions. (4) Institution of higher education The term institution of higher education has the meaning given such term in section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002), but excludes any institution of higher education described in section 102(a)(1)(C) of such Act. (5) Local educational agency (A) In general The term local educational agency means a public board of education or other public authority legally constituted within a State for either administrative control or direction of, or to perform a service function for, public elementary schools or secondary schools in a city, county, township, school district, or other political subdivision of a State, or of or for a combination of school districts or counties that is recognized in a State as an administrative agency for its public elementary schools or secondary schools. (B) Administrative control and direction The term includes any other public institution or agency having administrative control and direction of a public elementary school or secondary school. (C) Bureau of Indian Education schools The term includes an elementary school or secondary school funded by the Bureau of Indian Education but only to the extent that including the school makes the school eligible for programs for which specific eligibility is not provided to the school in another provision of law and the school does not have a student population that is smaller than the student population of the local educational agency receiving assistance under this Act with the smallest student population, except that the school shall not be subject to the jurisdiction of any State educational agency other than the Bureau of Indian Education. (D) Educational service agencies The term includes educational service agencies and consortia of those agencies. (E) State educational agency The term includes the State educational agency in a State in which the State educational agency is the sole educational agency for all public schools. (6) Low-income local educational agency The term low-income local educational agency means a local educational agency— (A) for which not less than 20 percent of the students served by such agency are from families with incomes below the poverty line as determined by the Bureau of the Census on the basis of the most recent satisfactory data available; and (B) that, as of the date of application for a grant under this Act, has ratios of school counselors, school social workers, and school psychologists to students served by the agency that are not more than 1 school counselor per 275 students, not more than 1 school psychologist per 500 students, and not more than 1 school social worker per 250 students. (7) Participating eligible graduate institution The term participating eligible graduate institution means an eligible graduate institution that is part of an eligible partnership awarded a grant under section 3. (8) Participating graduate The term participating graduate means an individual who— (A) has received a masters or other graduate degree in a school-based mental health field from a participating eligible graduate institution and has obtained a State license or credential in the school-based mental health field; and (B) as a graduate student of a school-based mental health field, was placed in a school served by a participating low-income local educational agency to complete required field work, credit hours, internships, or related training as applicable. (9) Participating low-income local educational agency The term participating low-income local educational agency means a low-income local educational agency that is part of an eligible partnership awarded a grant under section 3. (10) School-based mental health field The term school-based mental health field means each of the following fields: (A) School counseling. (B) School social work. (C) School psychology. (D) Any other field of study that leads to employment as a school-based mental health services provider. (11) School-based mental health services provider The term school-based mental health services provider has the meaning given the term in section 4102 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7112). (12) Secretary The term Secretary means the Secretary of Education. (13) State educational agency The term State educational agency has the meaning given the term in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). (14) Student support personnel target ratios The term student support personnel target ratios means the ratios of school-based mental health services providers to students recommended to enable such personnel to effectively address the needs of students, including— (A) at least 1 school counselor for every 250 students (as recommended by the American School Counselor Association and American Counseling Association); (B) at least 1 school psychologist for every 500 students (as recommended by the National Association of School Psychologists); and (C) at least 1 school social worker for every 250 students (as recommended by the School Social Work Association of America). (15) Unaccompanied youth The term unaccompanied youth has the meaning given such term in section 725 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a).