School safety/penalties

AN ACT Relating to improving school safety by extending penalties 1
for interference by, or intimidation by threat of, force or violence 2
at schools and extracurricular activities and requiring schools to 3
notify the public of such penalties; amending RCW 28A.635.090 and 4
28A.635.100; adding a new section to chapter 28A.635 RCW; and 5
creating a new section. 6
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:7
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The legislature finds that incidents 8
of violence in elementary and secondary schools raise concerns about 9
ensuring and promoting school safety. For learning to occur, schools 10
must first be safe places for students and staff. The legislature 11
recognizes that violent behavior tends to escalate if tolerated, thus 12
it is the intent of the legislature to provide targeted and 13
appropriate sanctions for the interference with school activities by 14
force or violence before it rises to the level of substantial or 15
grievous bodily harm.16
(2) The legislature understands that extracurricular athletics 17
provide valuable opportunities for students to develop social and 18
personal skills that can be useful throughout their lives. These 19
activities also benefit other students and spectators by building 20
school spirit, unity, community support, and community identity. 21
S-0578.1
SENATE BILL 5272
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Senators Lovick, Krishnadasan, and Saldaña
Read first time 01/15/25. Referred to Committee on Early Learning &
K-12 Education.
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Extracurricular athletics would not be possible without the 1
commitment of officials, judges, referees, and volunteers who work at 2
the events for little or no financial gain. The legislature finds 3
that the values engendered in interscholastic activities are being 4
undermined by participants and spectators who do not respect the 5
commitment of these officials. Increasingly, these people are 6
expressing their dissatisfaction through inappropriate verbal abuse 7
and behavior directed at the officials. The legislature recognizes 8
that officials, such as judges and referees, and volunteers acting as 9
officials, for extracurricular athletic activities of elementary and 10
secondary school students are particularly vulnerable to 11
inappropriate conduct because their attention is focused on the 12
athletic activities. Thus, the legislature intends to provide 13
additional support and protection for officials conducting 14
interscholastic events. 15
(3) The legislature finds that violence against public and 16
private students and staff is unacceptable. Thus, to promote a safe 17
learning environment, the legislature intends to increase the penalty 18
for those who deliberately ignore posted warnings against acts of 19
intimidation or violence against school athletic officials.20
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28A.635 21
RCW to read as follows: 22
(1) Signage must be posted notifying the public of the offenses 23
and possible penalties under RCW 28A.635.090 and 28A.635.100.24
(2) The signage must be prominently displayed at any entrance to 25
a public school gymnasium or auditorium and wherever other public 26
notices are placed at public school athletic fields.27
(3) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall 28
develop a standard signage form notifying the public of the offenses 29
and possible penalties under RCW 28A.635.090 and 28A.635.100.30
(4) As used in this section, "public school" has the same meaning 31
as in RCW 28A.150.010. 32
Sec. 3. RCW 28A.635.090 and 2003 c 53 s 169 are each amended to 33
read as follows: 34
(1) It ((shall be )) is unlawful for any person, singly or in 35
concert with others, to interfere by force or violence with ((any 36
administrator, teacher, classified employee, person under contract 37
with the school or school district, or student of any common school 38
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who)) an employee or contractor of a public or private elementary or 1
secondary school, an elementary or secondary student, or an official 2
or volunteer acting as an official for extracurricular athletic 3
activities of elementary or secondary students, while that person is 4
in the peaceful discharge or conduct of his or her duties or studies. 5
((Any such interference by force or violence committed by a student 6
shall be grounds for immediate suspension or expulsion of the 7
student.))8
(2) If a public school student interferes as described in 9
subsection (1) of this section, the interference is grounds for the 10
student's emergency removal, subject to RCW 28A.600.015. If a public 11
school student interferes as described in subsection (1) of this 12
section during extracurricular athletic activities, the student may 13
be excluded from participating in or attending that activity for up 14
to 12 months.15
(3) A person violating this section is guilty of a gross 16
misdemeanor and shall be fined not more than ((five hundred dollars)) 17
$1,000, or imprisoned in jail not more than ((six months)) 364 days, 18
or both such fine and imprisonment . Upon conviction, a person, other 19
than a student, must be excluded from entering the school where the 20
crime was committed or from attending the extracurricular athletic 21
activities in which the crime was committed, for a period of no less 22
than 12 months and no more than 18 months.23
(4) As used in this section, "public school" has the same meaning 24
as in RCW 28A.150.010. 25
Sec. 4. RCW 28A.635.100 and 2003 c 53 s 170 are each amended to 26
read as follows: 27
(1) It ((shall be )) is unlawful for any person, singly or in 28
concert with others, to intimidate by threat of force or violence 29
((any administrator, teacher, classified employee, or student of any 30
common school who )) an employee or contractor of a public or private 31
elementary or secondary school, an elementary or secondary student, 32
or an official or volunteer acting as an official for extracurricular 33
athletic activities of elementary or secondary students, while that 34
person is in the peaceful discharge or conduct of his or her duties 35
or studies. 36
(2) A person violating this section is guilty of a gross 37
misdemeanor and shall be fined not more than ((five hundred dollars)) 38
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$500, or imprisoned in jail not more than six months, or both such 1
fine and imprisonment. 2
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