Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Education Committee

ESSB 5753

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Brief Summary of Engrossed Substitute Bill

Suspends the requirements that the Superintendent of Public Instruction and high schools provide information related to college credit programs.
Modifies school district building requirements to require action only to the extent funds are available.
Repeals certain requirements that the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction provide traffic safety information related to left-hand turn lanes and motorcycles, Temperance and Good Citizenship Day, school garden requirements, and Student Learning Plan requirements.
Modifies school district dissemination of child abuse and neglect curriculum requirements to allow the provision of online information, or written information upon request.

Background:

Title 28A of the Revised Code of Washington includes the laws related to common schools and establishes the organizational structure of the common school system. Common schools are public schools operating a program for kindergarten through 12th grade, or components of that program. Certain chapters within Title 28A define the roles and responsibilities of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI), educational service districts (ESDs), and school districts. Other chapters provide requirements for school buildings, the provision of information to school districts and parents or guardians, traffic safety, the observance of Temperance and Good Citizenship Day, school gardens, and Student Learning Plans.

Summary of Bill:

Public school district compliance with high-performance building requirements is made dependent on whether funds are available.

Requirements that the SPI notify high schools with the contact information of entities offering college credit programs and that high schools annually publish and provide to parents entrance requirements and the availability of programs leading to college credit are suspended until July 1, 2015.

The requirement that the SPI disseminate child abuse and neglect prevention curriculum to school districts is modified to allow the provision of online access to this information, unless a parent or guardian specifically requests written information.

The requirement that all major facility projects of public school districts receiving any state capital budget funding must be designed and constructed to at least the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver standard or the Washington sustainable school design protocol is made dependent on whether federal or state funds are available.

The following laws are repealed:

The SPI must include information on the proper use of the left-hand lane on multilane highways in instructional material used in traffic safety courses.
The SPI must include information on motorcycle awareness in instructional materials used in traffic safety courses.
Public schools are required to observe "Temperance and Good Citizenship Day," and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction must annually produce a program for teachers for that day.
If schools operate gardens or farms for educational purposes, students must be given the opportunity to be involved and must learn about both organic and conventional growing methods.
School districts must prepare Student Learning Plans for eighth grade students who were not successful on any or all of the state assessment content areas during the previous school year or are not on track to graduate.