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Legislative Advocacy
Protocol
*emails are the preferred method of communication by the majority of
legislators.
* Begin letters to Senators and Representatives with "The
Honorable (full name)"; the body of the letter can begin with "Dear Senator (full
name):" or "Dear Representative (full name):"
* Include your name, address, the date, your phone number, and e-mail address
at the top of the letter.
* Identify yourself as a constituent in the first paragraph.
* Be specific - identify a specific piece of legislation (e.g., Senate Bill
100) in the first paragraph.
* Keep your letter succinct and to the point - mention only one issue per
letter.
* Provide research statistics and brief personal anecdotes to support your
points.
*Keep the tone of the letter friendly and appreciative.
* Follow-up your letter with a phone call 1-2 weeks later. When calling, you
may need to speak with the staff person who handles educational issues and
legislation.
The Legislative Advocacy Contract
The purpose of the GASP Legislative Advocacy Contract is to increase
school psychologists’ awareness of key legislation affecting the practice
of school psychology and to encourage proactive responses that help to
inform legislators of critical issues impacting children, families, and
the profession of school psychology.
When v isiting a Legislator:
*Appointments can be scheduled through the local or central office.
* When attempting to schedule an appointment with the legislator or staff
person assigned to educational issues, ask to speak with the appointment
secretary or scheduler.
*Identify yourself as a constituent and be clear about your purpose. In the
event that the legislator is unavailable, this will help to determine an
appropriate staff member who can address your concerns.
*Plan your visit in advance. Keep your conversation friendly, positive, and
appreciative. Limit your visits to 20-30 minutes. Bring relevant research and
documents to support your position.
*Follow-up your visit with a personal letter of thanks and an offer to
provide additional information, if needed, relative to critical issues under
consideration.
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The Legislative Advocacy
Contract
The GASP Legislative Advocacy Contract provides
GASP members with the opportunity and incentive to become better informed
about legislative issues, the legislative process, and key members of the
legislature, it is hoped that GASP members will become more effective in
shaping legislative policy that affects the profession of school
psychology.
Guidelines for applying for the Legislative Advocacy Contract
Any GASP member can submit a proposal that is designed to meet his/her
personal and professional goals in the area of legislative advocacy.
Proposals must address the new knowledge the participant will acquire, the
ways in which this knowledge will be acquired, and the communication of this
knowledge in a public way. In order to earn 1 SDU, a participant must be
able to provide evidence of at least 10 hours of work on this project.
Copies of the proposal should be submitted to the Legislative Committee and
the Continuing Education Chair prior to beginning the proposed activities.
Suggested Activities:
The following list of possible activities is only suggestive of the
types of legislative activities that could be proposed and is not intended to be the only
ones that could be proposed.
*Schedule a meeting with your state and federal legislators to discuss
key legislation issues germane to the practice of school psychology.
*Write letters to legislators to let them know of your concerns regarding
legislation or issues affecting school psychologists, children, and families
in Georgia. Be sure to include pertinent statistics and trends from current
research.
*Become a member of a local, state, or national task force focusing on
specific issues such as safe schools, improving literacy, reducing the high
school dropout rate, etc.
*Develop a coalition with members of other children’s advocacy groups
within the state (e.g., Parent-to Parent, Babies Can’t Wait, Early
Intervention Program, C.H.A.D.D., M.A.D.D., P.T.O., etc.)
*Write an article for publication in your local newspaper or submit a
letter to the editor that focuses on issues critical to children and
families, Georgia’s schools, mental health issues, etc. Include pertinent
research, statistics, and professional experiences.
*Monitor the state legislature when it is in session and provide your
colleagues with updates re: critical issues. Updates could be included on
the GASP website or sent to Regional Representatives via the GASP
legislative e-mail tree.
*Write a grant that focuses on the reduction/prevention of violence in
the schools, mental health services in the schools, after-school programs,
etc.
*Pursue NOVA crisis intervention training and become an active member of
the Georgia Crisis Assistance Team for Schools (GCATS).
*Actively assist the Legislative Committee by seeking legislative
sponsors/supporters of legislation designed to provide state incentives for
nationally certified school psychologists.
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