A resolution supporting the designation of the week of April 26 through April 30, 2021, as "National Specialized Instructional Support Personnel Appreciation Week".

III 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 180 Supporting the designation of the week of April 26 through April 30, 2021, as ‘‘National Specialized Instructional Support Personnel Appreciation Week’’. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES APRIL 27, 2021 Ms. HASSAN (for herself, Mr. CORNYN, Mr. CASEY, Ms. COLLINS, Ms. ERNST, Mr. HOEVEN, Mr. KAINE, and Ms. SMITH) submitted the following reso- lution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Supporting the designation of the week of April 26 through April 30, 2021, as ‘‘National Specialized Instructional Support Personnel Appreciation Week’’. Whereas there are more than 1,000,000 specialized instruc- tional support personnel serving the schools and students of the United States, including— (1) school counselors; (2) school social workers; (3) school psychologists; and (4) other qualified professional personnel, such as— (A) school nurses; (B) psychologists; (C) social workers; (D) occupational therapists; (E) physical therapists; VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:43 Apr 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR180.ATS SR180 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •SRES 180 ATS (F) art therapists; (G) dance and movement therapists; (H) music therapists; (I) speech-language pathologists; and (J) audiologists; Whereas specialized instructional support personnel provide school-based prevention and early intervention services to reduce barriers to learning; Whereas specialized instructional support personnel work with teachers, school leaders, and parents to ensure that all students are successful in school; Whereas specialized instructional support personnel encour- age multidisciplinary collaboration to promote student and school success; Whereas specialized instructional support personnel provide educational, social, emotional, and behavioral interven- tions and activities that support— (1) student learning; and (2) teaching; Whereas specialized instructional support personnel help to create environments that are safe, supportive, and condu- cive to learning; Whereas safe and supportive school environments are associ- ated with improved academic performance; Whereas specialized instructional support personnel sup- port— (1) student communication; (2) the development of social skills by students; (3) the physical wellness of students; (4) the physical development of students; and VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:43 Apr 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR180.ATS SR180 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •SRES 180 ATS (5) the behavioral, emotional, and mental health of students; and Whereas specialized instructional support personnel serve all students who struggle with barriers to learning: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) supports the designation of April 26 2 through April 30, 2021, as ‘‘National Specialized In- 3 structional Support Personnel Appreciation Week’’; 4 (2) recognizes that specialized instructional 5 support personnel implement evidence-based prac- 6 tices to improve student outcomes; 7 (3) commends— 8 (A) those individuals who work as special- 9 ized instructional support personnel; and 10 (B) the individuals and organizations that 11 support the efforts made by specialized instruc- 12 tional support personnel to promote and im- 13 prove the availability of specialized instructional 14 support services; 15 (4) encourages Federal, State, and local policy- 16 makers to work together to raise awareness of the 17 importance of specialized instructional support per- 18 sonnel in school climate and education efforts; 19 (5) recognizes the important role of specialized 20 instructional support personnel in efforts to improve 21 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:43 Apr 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR180.ATS SR180 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •SRES 180 ATS mental health, reduce drug use, and improve overall 1 community safety for students; and 2 (6) encourages experts to share best practices 3 so that others can replicate the success of those ex- 4 perts. 5 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:43 Apr 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR180.ATS SR180 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS