BILL REQ. #:  H-4263.2 

Read first time 02/02/2006.   Referred to Committee on Education.

     AN ACT Relating to instructing students about eating disorders; and adding a new section to chapter 28A.230 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A new section is added to chapter 28A.230 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The legislature finds that as many as twenty-four million people in the United States suffer from an eating disorder, and ninety-five percent of those individuals are between the ages of twelve and twenty-five. Even more disturbing is that anorexia is the third most common chronic illness among adolescents, and more people die of eating disorders than any other mental illness. Fortunately, eating disorders are preventable and can be treated. However, early intervention is the key to successful prevention and treatment. It is essential that middle and junior high school children are taught the physical dangers of eating disorders in order to dismiss the glamorization of being too thin that occurs in the media. Including instruction about eating disorders in the middle and junior high school classroom also encourages teachers to become better educated and to recognize the warning symptoms and appropriate intervention if a student shows early signs of an eating disorder.
     (2) All public middle and junior high schools in the state are strongly encouraged to ensure that instruction is provided to students in the health and fitness curriculum regarding identification of the warning signs, behavioral patterns, and avenues of support for young people with abnormal eating behaviors or eating disorders.