H-326 _______________________________________________

HOUSE BILL NO. 330

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State of Washington 50th Legislature 1987 Regular Session

By Representatives Walker, Ebersole, Betrozoff, Todd, Peery, Rust, Rasmussen, Taylor, Fuhrman, Rayburn, Cole, Valle, Pruitt, Spanel, Holland, Wang, Holm and Sutherland

Read first time 1/23/87 and referred to Committee on Education.Referred to Committee on Ways & Means 2/18/87.

AN ACT Relating to elementary school counselors; adding new sections to chapter 28A.03 RCW; and making an appropriation.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The citizens of the state of Washington recognize the many problems to which children are exposed in our modern society including drug and alcohol abuse, child abuse, poverty, and transiency as examples. The complexities of modern life can have a serious impact on the ability of children to learn. Therefore, the elementary school counselor program is established. It is essential that school districts provide early intervention and prevention services to students, their families, and classroom teachers to prevent school failure, absenteeism, drug and alcohol abuse, dropping out, and the subsequent problems of delinquency and unemployment.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. (1) The superintendent of public instruction may grant funds to school districts for the implementation of an elementary school counseling program based on one counselor per elementary school building. For elementary school buildings with over three hundred students, one counselor shall be provided for every elementary school building. For buildings having a total population of fewer than three hundred students, one half-time counselor shall be provided per building, or buildings within a district may enter into a cooperative arrangement with other schools within the district or adjacent districts or contract for services with the educational service district or with qualified individuals within the local community. When districts contract for services or enter into cooperative arrangements to provide services, the service provider shall spend the total time contracted for within the school building for which services are being provided to assure that the service provider is knowledgeable of the unique nature of the individual school and the families and children it serves. (2) Interested school districts shall file an application for funds that includes the following:

(a) A letter of commitment from the school district to adopt a comprehensive elementary school counseling plan and to define the relationship to the school counselor to local community resources;

(b) Methods for evaluating the effectiveness of the program;

(d) Policies on the notification and provision of services for parents and family;

(e) Referral procedures for dealing with community and state agencies; and

(f) The scope of the services to be provided. Services shall be available to a broad range of students.

(3) Schools or school districts entering into a cooperative program may file a joint application.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. The superintendent of public instruction may adopt rules to implement the elementary school counselor program.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. The superintendent of public instruction shall appoint an advisory committee composed of representatives of at least the following groups: School directors, administrators, principals, teachers, elementary school counselors, parents, and community mental health professionals to advise the superintendent on the adoption of criteria for the award of grant moneys.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. Sections 1 through 4 of this act are each added to chapter 28A.03 RCW.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. The sum of six million dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1989, from the general fund to the superintendent of public instruction for the purposes of this act.