School facility temperatures

AN ACT Relating to mitigating the impact of rising school 1
facility temperatures resulting from climate change; amending RCW 2
28A.150.290; adding a new section to chapter 28A.150 RCW; creating a 3
new section; and providing an effective date. 4
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:5
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that even as the 6
state pursues the cutting-edge climate policies necessary to mitigate 7
the impacts of our past and near-term carbon intensive economy, the 8
realities of climate change, including rising temperatures, are 9
already upon us. Consequently, average and extreme temperatures in 10
Washington state are likely to rise dramatically over the next 11
century. The legislature further finds that because many of the 12
state's school facilities lack adequate cooling systems, our teachers 13
and students are likely to experience increasingly negative climate 14
change-related impacts on their ability to teach and learn in the 15
classroom. Therefore, the legislature intends to require the 16
superintendent of public instruction to develop recommendations for 17
indoor temperature standards, including a maximum temperature 18
recommendation, for public school facilities. The legislature also 19
intends to provide the superintendent of public instruction with 20
H-0084.2
HOUSE BILL 1031
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Representatives Reeves, Ryu, Ramel, Reed, Fosse, Pollet, Scott,
and Stonier
Prefiled 12/11/24. Read first time 01/13/25. Referred to Committee
on Education.
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specific authority to develop rules related to school districts' 1
cancellation of school days due to excessive heat. 2
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28A.150 3
RCW to read as follows: 4
(1) The superintendent of public instruction must appoint an 5
advisory committee to develop recommendations for indoor temperature 6
standards, including a maximum temperature recommendation, for public 7
school facilities inhabited by students and employees no later than 8
September 1, 2025. 9
(2) The advisory committee in this section must include 10
representation from the following entities: (a) The department of 11
health; (b) the environmental justice council under RCW 70A.02.110; 12
(c) the state building code council under RCW 19.27.070; (d) the 13
Washington association of maintenance and operation administrators; 14
(e) the Washington education association; (f) the Washington state 15
school directors' association; (g) the office of the superintendent 16
of public instruction's technical advisory committee; and (h) a 17
parent of a student enrolled in kindergarten through the 12th grade 18
in a public school. 19
(3) The recommendations for indoor temperature standards must 20
include consideration of the need to balance temperature control with 21
the requirements of the state energy performance standards under 22
chapter 19.27A RCW. The advisory committee shall report its 23
recommendations and draft legislation to effect the recommended 24
changes and an implementation timeline to the governor and the 25
legislature no later than January 1, 2026. 26
(4) The superintendent of public instruction must develop cost 27
estimates associated with the recommendations of the advisory 28
committee pursuant to this section and report these cost estimates to 29
the governor and the legislature no later than July 1, 2026.30
(5) If legislation is enacted to implement indoor temperature 31
standards pursuant to this section, the superintendent of public 32
instruction may request legislative appropriations and the 33
establishment of grant programs to assist public schools with the 34
operational and capital costs of implementing these standards.35
Sec. 3. RCW 28A.150.290 and 1992 c 141 s 504 are each amended to 36
read as follows: 37
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(1) The superintendent of public instruction shall have the power 1
and duty to make such rules and regulations as are necessary for the 2
proper administration of this chapter and RCW 28A.160.150 through 3
((28A.160.220)) 28A.160.210, 28A.300.035, 28A.300.170, and 4
28A.500.010 not inconsistent with the provisions thereof, and in 5
addition to require such reports as may be necessary to carry out his 6
or her duties under this chapter and RCW 28A.160.150 through 7
((28A.160.220)) 28A.160.210, 28A.300.035, 28A.300.170, and 8
28A.500.010. 9
(2)(a) The superintendent of public instruction shall have the 10
authority to make rules and regulations which establish the terms and 11
conditions for allowing school districts to receive state basic 12
education moneys as provided in RCW 28A.150.250 when said districts 13
are unable to fulfill for one or more schools as officially scheduled 14
the requirement of a full school year of one hundred eighty days or 15
the annual average total instructional hour offering imposed by RCW 16
28A.150.220 and 28A.150.260 due to one or more of the following 17
conditions: 18
(((a))) (i) An unforeseen natural event ((,)) including, but not 19
necessarily limited to, a fire, flood, explosion, storm, excessive 20
heat, earthquake, epidemic, or volcanic eruption that has the direct 21
or indirect effect of rendering one or more school district 22
facilities unsafe, unhealthy, inaccessible, or inoperable; and23
(((b))) (ii) An unforeseen mechanical failure or an unforeseen 24
action or inaction by one or more persons, including negligence and 25
threats, that (((i))) (A) is beyond the control of both a school 26
district board of directors and its employees and (((ii))) (B) has 27
the direct or indirect effect of rendering one or more school 28
district facilities unsafe, unhealthy, inaccessible, or inoperable. 29
Such actions, inactions or mechanical failures may include, but are 30
not necessarily limited to, arson, vandalism, riots, insurrections, 31
bomb threats, bombings, delays in the scheduled completion of 32
construction projects, and the discontinuance or disruption of 33
utilities such as heating, lighting and water: PROVIDED, That an 34
unforeseen action or inaction shall not include any labor dispute 35
between a school district board of directors and any employee of the 36
school district. 37
(b) For the purposes of this subsection (2), "excessive heat" 38
means a temperature or heat index determined by the superintendent of 39
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public instruction as consistent with guidance established by the 1
national weather service. 2
(c) A condition is foreseeable for the purposes of this 3
subsection to the extent a reasonably prudent person would have 4
anticipated prior to August first of the preceding school year that 5
the condition probably would occur during the ensuing school year 6
because of the occurrence of an event or a circumstance which existed 7
during such preceding school year or a prior school year. A board of 8
directors of a school district is deemed for the purposes of this 9
subsection to have knowledge of events and circumstances which are a 10
matter of common knowledge within the school district and of those 11
events and circumstances which can be discovered upon prudent inquiry 12
or inspection. 13
(3) The superintendent of public instruction shall make every 14
effort to reduce the amount of paperwork required in administration 15
of this chapter and RCW 28A.160.150 through ((28A.160.220)) 16
28A.160.210, 28A.300.035, 28A.300.170, and 28A.500.010; to simplify 17
the application, monitoring and evaluation processes used; to 18
eliminate all duplicative requests for information from local school 19
districts; and to make every effort to integrate and standardize 20
information requests for other state education acts and federal aid 21
to education acts administered by the superintendent of public 22
instruction so as to reduce paperwork requirements and duplicative 23
information requests. 24
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. Section 3 of this act takes effect July 1, 25
2026.26
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