Legislative Youth Advisory Council.
The Legislative Youth Advisory Council (LYAC) is a nonpartisan youth-led committee of 22 student members created in statute to examine issues of importance to youth, including issues relating to education, employment, strategies to increase youth participation in state and municipal government, safe environments for youth, substance abuse, emotional and physical health, foster care, poverty, and youth access to services on a statewide and municipal basis.  The council is responsible for:

• advising the Legislature, commissions, and task forces on proposed and pending legislation and policy matters relating to youth;
• conducting periodic seminars for its members regarding leadership, government, and the Legislature;
• accepting and soliciting grants and donations to support its activities; and
• reporting annually to the Legislature on its activities, including proposed legislation that implements recommendations of the LYAC.

 
On its own accord, the LYAC organizes the largest youth civic engagement event at the State Capitol each year, known as Action Day, which brings students from all over the state to Olympia to engage with the legislative process.  The Office of the Lieutenant Governor provides administration, supervision, and facilitation support to the LYAC, and in doing so, may collaborate with the Washington State Leadership Board.
 
Washington State School Directors' Association. 
The Washington State School Directors' Association (WSSDA) was created in statute for the coordination of  policymaking, control, and management among the school districts to increase the efficiency of the common school system.  The school board members of each school district in the state are members of the WSSDA.  The WSSDA has various responsibilities, some of which include:

• conducting studies and disseminating information relative to increased efficiency in local school board administration;
• providing advice and assistance to local boards;
• making available on a cost reimbursable contract basis, certain services upon request by a local school district board of directors, including for specialized services, research information, and consultants to advise and assist district boards in particular problem areas;
• creating model policy and procedures for topics relating to waivers of credit for high school graduation, nurturing a positive social and emotional school and classmate climate, discipline, and students with epilepsy or other seizure disorders; and
• developing cultural competency, diversity, equity, and inclusion standards and training for school director governance.

Creation of Legislative District Student Councils.

A nonpartisan Legislative District Student Council (Council) is established in each legislative district to serve as advisory bodies and examine and make recommendations on issues affecting youth and education.  Each Council is facilitated by the legislative office or offices of legislators who voluntarily choose to assist in facilitating the Council program.

The LYAC must select the chairs of each Council who must then coordinate with the legislators from their legislative district to stand up and maintain their district's Council.  The selection of initial chairs must occur no later than October 1, 2023, and subsequent chairs must be appointed on June 1, 2025, and every two years thereafter.  

The LYAC, in consultation with the Student Representative Network (Network) created within the WSSDA, must develop:

• processes and procedures that may be used to set up each Council;
• an application and selection process that may be used to select student members to serve on the Council;
• model processes, programs, and duties for the Councils which must include mechanisms for administration, supervision, and facilitation support for the Councils; and
• model practices enabling public schools to conduct Council meetings as extracurricular activities. 

Each Council may not conduct more than four in-person meetings, with one of those meetings being a mandatory in-person meeting in Olympia on the day dedicated to youth civic education, as organized by the LYAC.

Membership of Legislative District Student Councils.

Each Council has a maximum of 11 members as follows:

• one chair, selected by the LYAC;
• up to five student board representatives, selected by the WSSDA, who attend a public school that serves students in any of grades nine through 12 (qualifying public school) which is located within that Council's legislative district;
• at least five additional members who are under the age of 21 at the time of appointment and attend either a qualifying public school or a community or technical college, which is located within that Council's legislative district.

Initial membership of the Council must be selected by January 15, 2024, and are appointed by a committee of the chairs of each Council, convened by the LYAC for this specific purpose.  The selection of subsequent members is the responsibility of each Council and must occur no later than January 15, 2026, and on January 15 every two years thereafter. 

To the extent feasible, the members of each Council must attend either a qualifying public school or a community or technical college that is located within their Council's district.  However, if no students from that district apply, students attending either a qualifying public school or a community or technical college in an adjacent legislative district may be selected for membership.

Creation of the Student Representative Network.
The WSSDA must form a Network to examine issues important to youth and engage student school board representatives in the legislative process.  A "student school board representative" is a student who is recognized by their local school board as a representative of the student body serving on that board.  The WSSDA must facilitate a connection between Network members and the legislators in their legislative district, and provide Network members with learning opportunities about education policy. 

The Network must:

• advise the Legislature and other entities, such as study commissions and task forces, on proposed and pending legislation relating to matters impacting youth;
• collaborate with the LYAC to organize an in-person annual day of youth civic education in Olympia;
• develop and assemble resources for new and existing student board representatives;
• provide training, photos, and other content for the WSSDA publications;
• collaborate with the WSSDA standing committees, advisory committees, task forces, and caucuses as invited; and
• provide additional student voices at the WSSDA events.

The Network may not hold more than four in-person meetings, with one of those meetings being mandatory in Olympia on the day dedicated to youth civic education, as organized by the LYAC.

The Network, in consultation with the WSSDA, must issue a report on December 1 of each year to the Legislature on the number of student board representatives in the state and the activities of the Network.

Membership of the Student Representative Network.

All student board representatives are automatically members of the Network.  To the extent feasible, the WSSDA must identify at least one student board representative from each legislative district to participate in the Network.  In legislative districts where there are no established student board representatives, the WSSDA must communicate with the appropriate school districts to create awareness of the role and encourage participation. 

The WSSDA must invite legislators to participate in the Network in an advisory capacity. 

Other Provisions.

The LYAC must explore options to expand its appointed membership and other methods of student participation in the LYAC to include the participation of students from each legislative district who attend a qualifying public school or a community or technical college in that district.

The LYAC must also organize, in coordination with the Network, the in-person annual day of youth civic education in Olympia.