BP BHEAD INT S

AN ACT Relating to violence prevention for safe schools; adding new sections to chapter 28A.300 RCW; and creating new sections.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The legislature finds there is an increase in violence, the use of weapons, and substance abuse in our communities and that students are faced with these issues in their personal life, at school, and in the community. As students are faced with the effects of violence, substance abuse, and the interrelationship of these factors, it is essential that we take the steps necessary to provide safe schools and communities for our children.

(2) The legislature further finds that students, staff, parents, and the community must be provided the skills and resources necessary to design and implement a comprehensive safe school strategy that includes violence prevention activities such as supporting conflict resolution, anger management, peer mediation, reducing illegal gang activity, substance abuse prevention, and elimination of racism, hate crimes, and sexual harassment, in coordination with families and the community.

(3) The purpose of sections 2 through 7 of this act is to create a cost-effective program that will provide school districts, in coordination with communities, the knowledge, skills, and materials necessary to design their own programs to implement a comprehensive safe schools strategy.

(4) The legislature further finds that it is essential to support the development of a training program on the roots of violence and importance of conflict resolution skills, and their relationship to a safe and supportive school environment for future teachers in teacher preparation programs.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. (1) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall award, through a competitive grant process, moneys to school districts for the development and implementation of a comprehensive safe schools program.

(2) School districts awarded the grants shall agree to create a safe schools team composed of an administrator, a teacher, a parent, a classified staff member, a student, and community members including the county prevention coordinator through the division of alcohol and substance abuse, and a representative of the community mobilization against substance abuse coalition or its designee.

(3) The safe schools team shall participate in a state-wide technical assistance workshop for the development of a safe schools program that links schools and communities in the development and implementation of comprehensive prevention strategy.

(4) The program developed by the safe schools team of the school districts awarded the grants shall: Identify local risk factors, develop corresponding protective factors, assess existing gaps in current school district policies, programs, and procedures, and determine how to eliminate the gaps and foster safe, disciplined, drug-free schools. The program may target specific violence-prevention strategies such as conflict resolution, anger management, peer mediation, techniques for the development of empathy, active listening and effective communication, awareness and appreciation of differences, problem solving and decision-making strategies, personal safety, safety issues concerning firearms and other dangerous weapons, sexual harassment, illegal gang activity, prevention of tobacco, alcohol and other drug abuse, and self-esteem enhancement. The strategies selected shall be closely tied to the risk assessment and an increase in the protective factors within the school and community, and implementation and evaluation of the programs in each building of the participating school district.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. (1) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall award, through a competitive process, moneys to a teacher preparation program in an institution of higher education for the development and implementation of a model conflict resolution training program to be used in teacher preparation programs. The elements of the training program shall include, but not be limited to: Manifestations of violence, bullying, and victimizations, sexual harassment, racism, bias and hate crimes, youth gangs, anger management, peer mediation, alcohol and drug prevention, and self-care for the educator.

(2) The institution of higher education awarded funds under this section shall report to the superintendent of public instruction and the state board of education annually until December 1, 1997, on the development and implementation of the conflict resolution training program.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. In awarding the grants, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall consult with the Washington state safe schools advisory committee.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. (1) School districts participating in a program under section 2 or 3 of this act shall report annually to the superintendent of public instruction for a period of three years after receiving grant money the following information: (a) Steps completed toward implementation of the district's safe schools program, including numbers of buildings participating; (b) a survey of personnel and students on the climate of the school; (c) data on weapons and other incidence of violence on campus; and (d) a survey of parent and community perceptions on the school climate.

(2) The superintendent of public instruction shall contract with an outside evaluator to assess the effectiveness of the safe schools program.

(3) The superintendent of public instruction shall report to the house of representatives and senate education committees on the results of the programs of the participating school districts no later than January 15, 1998.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. Grant funds shall be used solely for the following purposes: (1) By the office of the superintendent of public instruction for state-wide technical assistance for safe schools teams receiving funds under this grant award, administration of the program, the evaluation of the effectiveness of the programs and dissemination of the information; (2) for school districts for cost of the participation of the safe schools team and implementation of the program; and (3) for institutions of higher education for the development and implementation of a model teacher preparation training program in conflict resolution.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. The superintendent of public instruction shall adopt rules as necessary under chapter 34.05 RCW to implement sections 2 through 5 of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. Sections 2 through 6 of this act are each added to chapter 28A.300 RCW.