August Meeting Highlights APA Council |
Updates from Your APA Council Representative - August Meeting HighlightsEleanor Gil-Kashiwabara, PsyD
Hello OPA Members! As your APA Council Representative, I provide updates to what has been discussed in the twice-yearly meetings of APA Council. These meetings happen in February and August. I sent forth the August 2023 Council meeting highlights in September via the OPA listserv but for those of our members who are not part of the listserv, I wanted to share the highlights here in our OPA Newsletter. Here are the highlights from the August 2023 APA Council Meeting: AUGUST 2023 COUNCIL MEETING HIGHLIGHTS APA’s Council of Representatives held a hybrid meeting August 2-3, 2023, with most Council members convening in person in Washington, D.C. Need for Safe Work Environments for Adolescents “APA calls on state and federal agency officials to increase enforcement of laws, regulations and penalties for industries and employers engaging in exploitative and detrimental youth labor practices that compromise the health, well-being and economic advancement of adolescents in the labor market,” according to the resolution. “This includes modernizing and expanding hazardous occupation limits to better protect adolescents at work, increasing staffing of the [Department of Labor’s] Wage and Hour Division to investigate child labor violations, and enforcing age verification.” The resolution also asks the field of psychology and policymakers to support increased research, monitoring, intervention, advocacy, and policy to inform and guide safe labor practices for adolescents. Equity and Inclusion in Student Admissions in Higher Education The resolution also called for eliminating preferences for the wealthy, such as donors and children of alumni; targeting students at high schools that have a limited history of sending applicants to their school; paying full tuition in geographic areas for students with family incomes of $150,000 or less; establishing early college programs that allow high school students to take courses to earn college credit; and providing academic support and college admissions advice to high school students in low-income communities. Mental Health Screening and Practice of Law The policy pledges that APA will work with the American Bar Association and state bar associations to remove questions regarding mental health diagnoses or treatment history from character and fitness questionnaires. BEA Racial Disparities Task Force Report on Racism and Bias and Racial Disparities in PreK-12 Education The report looks at racism and bias and their role in creating educational disparities; disparities at the intersection between race and disability; discipline disparities and school pathways to the juvenile justice system; and racial/ethnic mismatch between the educator workforce and school-age population. It also updates recommendations for research, practice, and advocacy, and contains new recommendations for educator preparation. BSA Task Force Report on Tenure and Promotion for Faculty of Color Guidelines for Operational Psychology The purpose of the guidelines is “to maintain and improve the quality of operational psychology services, standardize and enhance the professional delivery of such services, encourage the practice and continued development of operational psychology, and respect the applicable rights of persons affected by such services.” Amendments to Association Rules
Presidential Citation and Raymond D. Fowler Award Dr. Bryant also presented the Raymond D. Fowler Award to former APA president Sandra L. Shullman, PhD.
The next APA Council meeting is in February of 2024, and I will provide the meeting highlights both via the OPA listserv and this newsletter, so stay tuned. APA is currently in the process of revising their current Strategic Plan, adjusting and modifying the plan as needed to ensure the organization is in a position to deliver maximum impact over the next 5 years. During the upcoming February 2024 meeting, APA Council will consider and vote on a new strategic plan for the Association. I look forward to providing an update on this item after the February meeting. Last, but certainly not least, I wanted to share APA’s newly released 2nd edition of the Inclusive Language Guide (ILG), which aims to provide guidance on inclusive and affirming language in writing and conversation. The updates include new sections on body size and weight stigma, neurodiversity, gender-inclusive language related to pregnancy, and ableist language that is pervasive in everyday conversation. Please let me know if you have any questions. It is an honor to serve as your APA Council Representative.
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