Cancer education programs

AN ACT Relating to comprehensive cancer education programs; and 1
adding a new section to chapter 43.70 RCW. 2
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:3
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 43.70 4
RCW to read as follows: 5
(1) Subject to amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, 6
the department shall contract with a training entity to deliver age-7
appropriate comprehensive cancer education programs to students in 8
grades six through 12. Each school district may voluntarily decide 9
whether to offer the programs and which grades to include.10
(2) The comprehensive cancer education programs shall be designed 11
to be delivered in single sessions compatible with the normal length 12
of a daily class period, typically 50 to 75 minutes long. Depending 13
on the needs of each school district, to the extent practicable, the 14
content must align with existing school health curricula and be 15
adaptable to various formats, including assemblies for all students 16
or specific grades, individual class sessions, or extended over 17
multiple sessions. The program will provide age-appropriate 18
information on cancer, covering topics such as cancer prevention, 19
risk reduction, and available social and emotional resources. 20
Additionally, the program must be designed to encourage supplemental 21
H-0755.1
HOUSE BILL 1667
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Representatives Rule, Thai, Salahuddin, Parshley, and Simmons
Read first time 01/28/25. Referred to Committee on Appropriations.
p. 1 HB 1667
teacher education to extend content beyond the initial programming, 1
and across multisubject disciplines. 2
(3) In selecting a training entity to contract with, the 3
department shall select an entity with a demonstrated record of 4
delivering comprehensive cancer education programs to youth in 5
Washington, in both school settings and youth organizations, that 6
address the topics of cancer prevention, cancer risk reduction, and 7
available social and emotional resources. The training entity must be 8
able to provide evidence of past performance, such as documented 9
outcomes, testimonials, or case studies that show the effectiveness 10
and impact of its programs. 11
(4) The department shall require the training entity to use the 12
funds provided in this section to enhance and expand its 13
comprehensive cancer education program in Washington. These funds are 14
intended to supplement, not replace, current offerings, assuring the 15
state is purchasing additional capacity to deliver:16
(a) Additional programs beyond the number that the training 17
entity provided in the 2023-24 academic calendar year;18
(b) Programs across geographically diverse parts of the state;19
(c) Programs in a manner that assures racial and ethnic diversity 20
among the total number of students receiving the program; and21
(d) Programs to Spanish-speaking students. Additional language 22
options may be considered in the future. 23
(5) The selected training entity may contract with other persons 24
or training entities, as necessary, to meet the demand for delivering 25
the comprehensive cancer education program and to deliver the program 26
in Spanish. These contracted entities must be held to the same 27
standards as the selected training entity, presenting content, 28
conducting evaluations, and collecting feedback from students and 29
schools. 30
(6)(a) By December 1, 2027, the department must report to the 31
governor and the legislature on the comprehensive cancer education 32
programs offered under this section. The report must include:33
(i) The total number of programs delivered by school district, 34
including the geographic location of the schools where the programs 35
were delivered; 36
(ii) Student participation information, including number, 37
geographic location, age, and grade level; 38
(iii) The number of programs offered in Spanish and the number of 39
participating students; and 40
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(iv) Other relevant information and recommendations pertaining to 1
the program. 2
(b) The selected training program must report information to the 3
department as the department finds necessary to complete its 4
reporting requirements. 5
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p. 3 HB 1667