READ FIRST TIME 02/18/13.   

     AN ACT Relating to increasing the capacity of school districts to recognize and respond to troubled youth; amending RCW 28A.410.035; adding a new section to chapter 28A.410 RCW; adding new sections to chapter 28A.320 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28A.310 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 71.24 RCW; and creating new sections.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   (1) The legislature finds that:
     (a) According to the state department of health, suicide is the second leading cause of death for Washington youth between the ages of ten and twenty-four. Suicide rates among Washington youth remain higher than that national average;
     (b) An increasing body of research shows an association between adverse childhood experiences such as trauma, violence, or abuse, and school performance. Children and teens spend a significant amount of time in school. Teachers and other school staff who interact with students daily are in a prime position to recognize the signs of emotional or behavioral distress and make appropriate referrals. School personnel need effective training to help build the skills and confidence to assist youth in seeking help;
     (c) Educators are not necessarily trained to address significant social, emotional, or behavioral issues exhibited by youth. Rather, best practices guidelines suggest that school districts should form partnerships with qualified health, mental health, and social services agencies to provide support; and
     (d) Current safe school plans prepared by school districts tend to focus more on natural disasters and external threats and less on how to recognize and respond to potential crises among the students inside the school.
     (2) Therefore, the legislature intends to increase the capacity for school districts to recognize and respond to youth in need through additional training, more comprehensive planning, and emphasis on partnerships between schools and communities.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 28A.410 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) As provided under subsections (2) and (3) of this section, individuals certified by the professional educator standards board as a school nurse, school social worker, school psychologist, or school counselor must complete a training program on youth suicide screening and referral as a condition of certification. The training program must be at least three hours in length. The professional educator standards board must adopt standards for the minimum content of the training in consultation with the office of the superintendent of public instruction and the department of health. In developing the standards, the board must consider training programs listed on the best practices registry of the American foundation for suicide prevention and the suicide prevention resource center.
     (2) This section applies to the following certificates if the certificate is first issued or is renewed on or after July 1, 2015:
     (a) Continuing certificates for school nurses;
     (b) Continuing certificates for school social workers;
     (c) Continuing and professional certificates for school psychologists; and
     (d) Continuing and professional certificates for school counselors.
     (3) A school counselor who holds or submits a school counseling certificate from the national board for professional teaching standards or a school psychologist who holds or submits a school psychologist certificate from the national association of school psychologists in lieu of a professional certificate must complete the training program under subsection (1) of this section by July 1, 2015, or within the five-year period before the certificate is first submitted to the professional educator standards board, whichever is later, and at least once every five years thereafter in order to be considered certified by the professional educator standards board.
     (4) The professional educator standards board shall consider the training program under subsection (1) of this section as approved continuing education under RCW 28A.415.020 and shall count the training program toward meeting continuing education requirements for certification as a school nurse, school social worker, school psychologist, or school counselor.

Sec. 3   RCW 28A.410.035 and 1990 c 90 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) To receive initial certification as a teacher in this state after August 31, 1991, an applicant shall have successfully completed a course on issues of abuse. The content of the course shall discuss the identification of physical, emotional, sexual, and substance abuse, information on the impact of abuse on the behavior and learning abilities of students, discussion of the responsibilities of a teacher to report abuse or provide assistance to students who are the victims of abuse, and methods for teaching students about abuse of all types and their prevention.
     (2) The professional educator standards board shall incorporate into the content required for the course under this section, knowledge and skill standards pertaining to recognition, initial screening, and response to emotional or behavioral distress in students, including but not limited to indicators of possible substance abuse, violence, and youth suicide. To receive initial certification after August 31, 2014, an applicant must have successfully completed a course that includes the content of this subsection. The board shall consult with the office of the superintendent of public instruction and the department of health in developing the standards.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   A new section is added to chapter 28A.320 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) Beginning in the 2014-15 school year, each school district must adopt a plan for recognition, initial screening, and response to emotional or behavioral distress in students, including but not limited to indicators of possible substance abuse, violence, and youth suicide. The school district must annually provide the plan to all district staff.
     (2) At a minimum the plan must address:
     (a) Identification of training opportunities in recognition, screening, and referral that may be available for staff;
     (b) How to use the expertise of district staff who have been trained in recognition, screening, and referral;
     (c) How staff should respond to suspicions, concerns, or warning signs of emotional or behavioral distress in students;
     (d) Identification and development of partnerships with community organizations and agencies for referral of students to health, mental health, substance abuse, and social support services, including development of at least one memorandum of understanding between the district and such an entity in the community or region;
     (e) Protocols and procedures for communication with parents;
     (f) How staff should respond to a crisis situation where a student is in imminent danger to himself or herself or others; and
     (g) How the district will provide support to students and staff after an incident of violence or youth suicide.
     (3) The plan under this section may be a separate plan or a component of another district plan or policy, such as the harassment, intimidation, and bullying prevention policy under RCW 28A.300.2851 or the comprehensive safe school plan required under RCW 28A.320.125.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5   A new section is added to chapter 28A.320 RCW to read as follows:
     The office of the superintendent of public instruction and the school safety advisory committee shall develop a model school district plan for recognition, initial screening, and response to emotional or behavioral distress in students, including but not limited to indicators of possible substance abuse, violence, and youth suicide. The model plan must incorporate research-based best practices, including practices and protocols used in schools and school districts in other states. The model plan must be posted by February 1, 2014, on the school safety center web site, along with relevant resources and information to support school districts in developing and implementing the plan required under section 4 of this act.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 6   A new section is added to chapter 28A.310 RCW to read as follows:
     Each educational service district shall develop and maintain the capacity to offer training for educators and other school district staff on youth suicide screening and referral, and on recognition, initial screening, and response to emotional or behavioral distress in students, including but not limited to indicators of possible substance abuse, violence, and youth suicide. An educational service district may demonstrate capacity by employing staff with sufficient expertise to offer the training or by contracting with individuals or organizations to offer the training. Training may be offered on a fee-for-service basis, or at no cost to school districts or educators if funds are appropriated specifically for this purpose or made available through grants or other sources.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 7   The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall convene a temporary task force to identify best practices, model programs, and successful strategies for school districts to form partnerships with qualified health, mental health, and social services agencies in the community to coordinate and improve support for youth in need. The task force shall identify and develop resource documents to be posted on the school safety center web site, and submit a report with recommendations to the education committees of the legislature by December 1, 2013. The task force shall also explore the potential use of advance online youth emotional health and crisis response systems that have been developed for use in other countries. The task force must include the results of the review in its December 1st report.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 8   (1) The legislature finds that a lack of information about mental health problems among the general public leads to stigmatizing attitudes and prevents people from seeking help early and seeking the best sort of help. It also prevents people from providing support to family members, friends, and colleagues because they might not know what to do. This lack of knowledge about mental health problems limits the initial accessibility of evidence-based treatments and leads to a lack of support for people with a mental disorder from family, friends, and other members of the community.
     (2) The focus on training for teachers and educational staff is intended to provide opportunities for early intervention when the first signs of developing mental illness may be recognized in children, teens, and young adults, so that appropriate referrals may be made to evidence-based behavioral health services.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 9   A new section is added to chapter 71.24 RCW to read as follows:
     Subject to appropriation for this specific purpose, the department shall provide funds for mental health first-aid training targeted at teachers and educational staff. The training will follow the model developed by the department of psychology in Melbourne, Australia. Instruction provided will describe common mental disorders that arise in youth, their possible causes and risk factors, the availability of evidence-based medical, psychological, and alternative treatments, processes for making referrals for behavioral health services, and methods to effectively render assistance in both initial intervention and crisis situations. The department shall collaborate with the office of the superintendent of public instruction to identify sites and methods of instruction that leverage local resources to the extent possible for the purpose of making the mental health first-aid training broadly available.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 10   This act does not create any civil liability on the part of the state or any state agency, officer, employee, agent, political subdivision, or school district.