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2019 SPAW Advocacy Action Day
On Wednesday, November 13th, NASP held its second annual SPAW Advocacy Action Day. While NASP organizes the federal campaign, state associations had the option to organize their own action days, in coordination with NASP, to contact their state representatives.
Last year, volunteer advocates sent 3,138 letters to elected representatives across the country during SPAW; so this year, NASP set a goal to make 5,000 contacts.In short, our team's advocacy efforts during SPAW were a resounding success. Here is a summary, by the numbers:
-31 states coordinated state virtual advocacy days, with numerous other states organizing other local advocacy-related activities. Way to go, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin!
-1,541 school psychologists from all over the country participated
-1,684 elected representatives around the country were contacted by an advocate
-At least one congressional representative was contacted in 48 states
-100% of the federal representatives were contacted in Alaska, Colorado, Delaware, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, and Wisconsin
-3,185 letters were sent to state legislators, and 3,205 were sent to federal congressional representatives. That means that, in total...
-Our volunteer advocates sent 6,390 letters last week to their elected representatives across the country, asking legislators to expand access to comprehensive mental health services in schools.
Way to go, advocates! You made a difference in urging lawmakers to pay attention to such a critical issue. Don't forget to regularly check NASP's Advocacy Action Center for additional opportunities to advocate on specific issues that impact our kids. #NASPadvocates