Behavioral health/schools

AN ACT Relating to providing school districts and public schools 1
with the assistance, resources, and training necessary to coordinate 2
comprehensive supports across the behavioral health continuum for 3
their students; and adding a new section to chapter 28A.300 RCW.4
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:5
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 28A.300 6
RCW to read as follows: 7
(1) A technical assistance and training network is established to 8
provide school districts and public schools with the technical 9
assistance, resources, and training necessary to coordinate 10
comprehensive supports across the behavioral health continuum for 11
their students. 12
(2) The network must be comprised of statewide and regional 13
partners with specific experience and capacity to provide behavioral 14
health-related training and technical assistance to schools. Partners 15
may include the educational service districts, academic centers of 16
excellence, and community-based organizations. 17
(3) The network must provide direct assistance to school 18
districts and public schools for establishing, implementing, and 19
evaluating efforts to support students across the behavioral health 20
H-0778.1
HOUSE BILL 1634
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Representatives Thai, Eslick, Reed, Cortes, Doglio, Goodman,
Salahuddin, Bergquist, Scott, Parshley, Zahn, Nance, and Shavers
Read first time 01/28/25. Referred to Committee on Education.
p. 1 HB 1634
continuum. Assistance the network may provide to school districts and 1
public schools includes: 2
(a) Conducting, or supporting local administration of, needs 3
assessments to identify the behavioral health needs of students, 4
including the cultural and contextual factors affecting students' 5
mental health; 6
(b) Providing professional development and other training 7
opportunities for school district and public school staff on topics 8
such as: Implementation science, mental health awareness, trauma-9
informed practices, and effective intervention strategies;10
(c) Assisting school districts and public schools in designing 11
and implementing evidence-based behavioral health programs tailored 12
to their specific needs and resources, in alignment with school plans 13
for recognizing and responding to emotional or behavioral distress in 14
students under RCW 28A.320.127; 15
(d) Creating and distributing resources, such as guides, 16
toolkits, and intervention materials, to support school district and 17
public school behavioral health initiatives, including prevention 18
efforts; 19
(e) Helping school districts and public schools develop and 20
revise policies and procedures related to behavioral health support, 21
crisis intervention, and student well-being; 22
(f) Facilitating behavioral health-related connections and 23
partnerships with community-based organizations and state and local 24
agencies to enhance support for students, leverage additional 25
resources, and support schools in establishing and maintaining 26
effective referral pathways; 27
(g) Providing strategies and tools for involving families and 28
communities in behavioral health initiatives to foster a holistic 29
approach to student support; 30
(h) Offering guidance on crisis response strategies and 31
behavioral health crisis intervention for school district and public 32
school staff and students; and 33
(i) Providing ongoing consultation and support to school 34
districts and public schools as they implement and improve their 35
behavioral health systems, helping to address challenges and sustain 36
efforts over time. 37
(4)(a) The office of the superintendent of public instruction 38
shall establish a coordinating hub to create and maintain the 39
network. 40
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(b) At a minimum the coordinating hub must: 1
(i) Create and maintain the infrastructure of the network;2
(ii) Provide strategic oversight to ensure the priorities of the 3
network align with state frameworks, systemwide goals, and statutory 4
requirements; 5
(iii) Administer and manage grants and contracts related to the 6
network; 7
(iv) Establish criteria for recruiting and selecting network 8
partners; 9
(v) Analyze state and local data to identify priorities for the 10
network; 11
(vi) Evaluate and monitor network progress towards goals and 12
priorities on an ongoing basis; and 13
(vii) Promote, organize, and coordinate network activities, as 14
necessary. 15
(c) The coordinating hub may contract with organizations equipped 16
with the infrastructure and expertise to effectively support and 17
coordinate sustainable, coherent, and cohesive behavioral health 18
initiatives within Washington's public education system.19
(5) For purposes of this section, the following definitions 20
apply: 21
(a) "Network" means the technical assistance and training network 22
established in this section. 23
(b) "Public schools" has the same meaning as in RCW 28A.150.010.24
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p. 3 HB 1634