State law defines behavioral health services as mental health and substance use disorder treatment services. 

Regional school safety centers within educational service districts provide behavioral health coordination that includes:

• providing support for school district development and implementation of plans for recognition, initial screening, and response to emotional or behavioral distress in students; 
• supporting suicide prevention training; 
• facilitating partnerships and coordination to increase student and family access to behavioral health services and supports;
• assisting with building capacity to identify and support students in need of behavioral health care services and to link students and families with community-based behavioral health care services;
• identifying, sharing, and integrating, to the extent practicable, behavioral and physical health care service delivery models;
• providing medicaid billing related training, technical assistance, and coordination; and
• providing guidance on best practices in response to the suicide or attempted suicide of a student.

Within existing resources, public schools that issue identification cards must have the following printed on the cards:

• the contact information for a national suicide prevention organization; and 
• the contact information for one or more campus, local, state, or national organizations specializing in suicide prevention, crisis intervention, or counseling if available. 

The Children and Youth Behavioral Health Work Group convenes an advisory group focused on school-based behavioral health and suicide prevention.  The advisory group advises the full work group on creating and maintaining an integrated system of care through a tiered support framework for K-12 schools and behavioral health care systems that can:

• rapidly identify students in need of care and effectively link these students to appropriate services,
• provide age-appropriate education on behavioral health and other universal supports for social-emotional wellness for all students, and
• improve both education and behavioral health outcomes for students.

Within existing resources, every public school that maintains a website must publish on the home page the website address and phone number for one or more of the following organizations:

• national suicide prevention organizations;
• local, state, or national national organizations specializing in suicide prevention or crisis intervention;
• local, state, or national organizations specializing in depression, anxiety, or counseling for adolescents;
• local, state, or national organizations specializing in eating disorders for adolescents;
• local, state, or national organizations specializing in substance abuse for adolescents; and
• a mental health referral service for children and teens.

A public school may meet the requirements by publishing a prominent link on its home page to a behavioral and emotional health website that contains the required information.

In complying with these requirements, public schools must post information on school district social media websites to notify students, families, and the public of the available behavioral health resources.  The required postings must occur multiple times each year and no less than quarterly.

The committee recommended a different version of the bill than what was heard.  PRO:  The Legislative Youth Advisory Council has worked this bill, and it is necessary and urgent.  This bill will help destigmatize behavioral health needs and recognize that many people need support and services.  Washington State is in a behavioral crisis for youth, and this crisis was part of the Governor's recent emergency order to get students back to in-person learning.  COVID-19 has placed extra stress and additional loneliness on students.  Students are struggling academically and socially.  This bill will give everyone better access to a variety of resources that can help save lives.