To redesignate the Department of the Navy as the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps.

Mr. Speaker, the month of March is when social workers throughout the country celebrate Social Work Month. I am here today to honor a special group of social workers who work in one of the most important institutions in our society: our schools.

To honor the vital role school social workers serve in our communities, I am proud to introduce H.R. 171, to recognize the many contributions of school social workers and to designate this week, March 5 through 11, as School Social Work Week.

School social workers are critical members of a school's educational team. They strengthen partnerships between students' homes, schools, and communities as they work to ensure student academic success. School social workers are uniquely trained and specially equipped to mentor students who face emotional, academic, and behavioral barriers to learning.

Their expertise guides students through serious life challenges, including poverty, disability, sexual and physical abuse, addiction, bullying, and various forms of familial separation such as military deployment, divorce,

and incarceration. We now understand how these adverse childhood experiences and chronic exposures to the stressors affect the developing brain, particularly in a school setting where the academic demands are high and the social pressures can be life changing.

We must better support these students to overcome these barriers to success. We now have the science and research to inform our policies so that we are not just funneling these children out of a school system and into a prison system. We must prioritize the economic benefits of effective and preventive solutions and provide the necessary supports.

School social workers provide these services in our schools by connecting students and families to available resources in the community, particularly in areas that have been hit hardest by poverty. School social workers improve the success rate of children coming from a disadvantaged background, lending a much-needed hand in our efforts to create a more equal society. Families and communities want these services for their children. School districts should prioritize and invest in staffing models and programs that offer mental health services.

Research tells us that individuals who suffer from mental illness will have developed these symptoms by age 14. The Centers for Disease Control finds that behavioral disorders are increasing in youth and presenting themselves at younger ages. Fewer than one in five of these children will ever receive needed mental health services.

We also know that suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people ages 10 through 24. School mental health programs provided and enhanced by school social workers are critical to early identification of mental health problems.

Research indicates that school mental health programs improve educational outcomes by decreasing absences, decreasing disciplinary referrals, and improving academic achievement. Our students deserve the support. Our students need school social workers to help them succeed.

Unfortunately, there are often not enough school social workers available in school districts to meet the many, many needs of at-risk youth. The 1-to-250 maximum recommended ratio of school social workers to students is exceeded in almost all school districts in the United States, with some experiencing ratios as high as 1 to 21,000.

As we seek to improve our educational opportunities, maximizing the new opportunities and flexibility of the Every Student Achieves Act, let us use this week to recognize the contributions of school social workers and the vital role they play in helping our children reach their fullest potential.