S-4473.2
SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6243
State of Washington
64th Legislature
2016 Regular Session
By Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education (originally sponsored by Senators Litzow, Fain, McAuliffe, Dammeier, Rivers, O'Ban, Bailey, Hill, Warnick, Becker, Hewitt, Keiser, Carlyle, Darneille, Rolfes, Conway, and Mullet)
READ FIRST TIME 02/05/16.
AN ACT Relating to a training program for educators and parents concerning students' mental health; amending RCW 28A.310.500; adding a new section to chapter 28A.300 RCW; creating new sections; and providing an expiration date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1.  The legislature finds that suicide is the second leading cause of death in Washington for youth ten to twenty-four years of age. The legislature acknowledges that most suicides are preventable and that early prevention within schools can help decrease the number of youth suicides. The legislature recognizes that schools can aid in the development of social and emotional foundations for students. The legislature intends to develop a training program for middle and high school staff and parents or guardians focused on developing students' social and emotional skills to help prevent youth suicide.
Sec. 2.  RCW 28A.310.500 and 2013 c 197 s 6 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) 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.
(2) The educational service districts shall work with Forefront at the University of Washington to develop a two-day youth suicide prevention training program for middle and high school administrators, teachers, counselors, psychologists, social workers, and parents or guardians. The training program must address the following:
(a) Developmentally appropriate, evidence-based curriculum and programs;
(b) Parent and peer education;
(c) Strategies for creating school environments with a focus on social and emotional needs; and
(d) Basic training for teachers and students in how to recognize and support a student who may be struggling.
(3) Educational service district staff identified in subsection (1) of this section shall provide school or school district teams that receive the training described in subsection (2) of this section with ongoing on-site technical assistance for one school year.
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3.  A new section is added to chapter 28A.300 RCW to read as follows:
(1) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall create and maintain an online social and emotional training module for educators, administrators, and other school district staff. The module must be available by September 1, 2017.
(2) The training module must be based on the recommendations of the office of the superintendent of public instruction's 2016 report on comprehensive benchmarks for developmentally appropriate interpersonal and decision-making knowledge and skills of social and emotional learning.
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4.  (1) School districts and educational service districts must report the following data to the office of the superintendent of public instruction:
(a) How many students are served by mental health services in each school, school district, or educational service district;
(b) How many of these students are participating in medicaid programs;
(c) How the mental health services are funded, including federal, state, and private sources;
(d) Information on who provides the mental health services, including district employees and contractors; and
(e) Any other available information related to student access and outcomes.
(2) The office of the superintendent of public instruction must compile the data submitted under subsection (1) of this section into an inventory of the mental health service models available to students through schools, school districts, and educational service districts. By October 31, 2016, the office of the superintendent of public instruction must submit a report to the appropriate committees of the house of representatives and the senate, in accordance with RCW 43.01.036.
(3) This section expires August 1, 2017.
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