AN ACT Relating to education; amending RCW 28A.34A.090; adding new sections to chapter 28A.03 RCW; adding new sections to chapter 28A.58 RCW; adding new sections to Title 28A RCW; creating new sections; and repealing RCW 28A.34A.902 and 28A.03.380.

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

PART I - READINESS TO LEARN

NEW SECTION. Sec. 101. The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall, with the consultation and participation of the departments of community development and social and health services and the state board for community college education, develop a program of adult literacy to serve parents of children who are in early childhood education and assistance or head start programs or elementary school programs serving students below average in the basic skills of reading, language arts, and mathematics. Wherever possible the superintendent of public instruction shall utilize and work cooperatively with existing adult literacy programs operated by the community colleges, vocational technical institutes, and common schools or community-based nonprofit organizations to provide services to eligible parents before funding and developing new adult literacy programs is undertaken. The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall adopt rules, under chapter 34.04 RCW to implement this section and sections 102 and 103 of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 102. (1) The program established under section 101 of this act shall provide adult literacy skills for parents who have less than an eighth grade ability in the areas of reading, language arts, or mathematics and may include other program components necessary to accomplish the purposes of the program including but not limited to transportation services and child care.

(2) Parents served by the adult literacy program shall be those of a child in an early childhood education and assistance, head start, or state or federally funded elementary school basic skills program, with priority for parents with children in programs prior to or in the first three grades of their formal education.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 103. The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall prepare a report to the legislature and the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate on the results and effectiveness of the even start program, including recommendations and specific plans, if appropriate, for program expansion. The initial report shall be submitted by January 15, 1988, and shall be updated by January 1 every two years thereafter.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 104. The superintendent of public instruction shall identify and disseminate information about effective programs to all school districts and other interested parties.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 105. Sections 101 through 104 of this act shall constitute new sections in Title 28A RCW.

Sec. 106. Section 9, chapter 418, Laws of 1985 and RCW 28A.34A.090 are each amended to read as follows:

For the duration of this ((~~act~~)) chapter, the department may award state support under RCW 28A.34A.010 through 28A.34A.070 to increase the numbers of eligible children assisted by the federal or state-supported preschool programs in this state ((~~by up to five thousand additional children~~)). Priority shall be given to groups in those geographical areas which include a high percentage of families qualifying under the federal "at risk" criteria. ((~~The overall program funding level shall be based on an average grant of no more than two thousand seven hundred dollars per child to cover all program costs: PROVIDED, That~~)) Programs addressing special needs of selected groups or communities shall be recognized in the department's rules.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 107. Section 15, chapter 418, Laws of 1985 and RCW 28A.34A.902 are each repealed.

PART II - THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT

NEW SECTION. Sec. 201. (1) To encourage youth who are considering dropping out or have dropped out of school to remain in or return to school, it is the intent of the legislature to aid in the planning and implementation of educational programs for such youth. Furthermore, in recognition that effective assistance at the elementary school level will reduce the need for dropout intervention at the secondary level, the legislature encourages early identification of and assistance to students not succeeding in school.

(2) The superintendent of public instruction shall distribute funds appropriated by the legislature for this purpose to qualifying school districts to support the initial planning, program development, and implementation of educational programs for youth who have dropped out or are at risk of dropping out of school. State assistance for the program shall provide start-up money intended to encourage local school districts to develop and maintain integrated programs for such youth.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 202. The superintendent of public instruction shall annually develop a ranking of school districts by dropout rates, and shall require each school district with a dropout rate in the top twenty-five percent of all districts' dropout rates to develop and maintain a comprehensive, district-wide student motivation, retention, and retrieval plan. Districts with a dropout rate in the top twenty-five percent shall be considered qualifying districts for funding purposes under section 203 of this act. The superintendent of public instruction may grant exceptions to the planning requirement for a qualifying district where such a plan and program already exist and can be shown to be effective. For the purposes of ranking school districts pursuant to this section, the superintendent may use an average of a school district's dropout rates for the previous five years.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 203. (1) The superintendent of public instruction shall distribute program planning or implementation funds to qualifying school districts and cooperatives of districts from funds made available by the legislature for that purpose.

(2) Qualifying districts or cooperatives of districts may apply for planning and implementation funds available pursuant to this section. A cooperative of districts may receive funds under this section if the cooperative includes one or more qualifying districts.

(3) A qualifying district which received planning funds before the effective date of this section may receive program development or implementation funds.

(4) A qualifying district or cooperative of districts shall be eligible to receive program implementation funds once every two years. Funds from each subsequent application by a district or cooperative of districts, however, shall be used to expand the dropout program to additional grades or another school or to initiate a new dropout program. Grants shall not be used to supplant funds of an existing program. In renewing districts' grants, the superintendent shall give funding priority to district programs of demonstrated effectiveness.

(5) Funds shall be distributed among qualifying districts and cooperatives of districts on a per pupil basis. However, no qualifying district shall receive less than five thousand dollars in any school year, and no district may receive more than is necessary for planning and implementation activities outlined in its plan.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 204. The superintendent of public instruction shall adopt rules, pursuant to chapter 34.04 RCW, to carry out the purposes of sections 201 through 203 of this act. The rules adopted by the superintendent of public instruction shall provide for:

(1) An annual evaluation by the district of the effectiveness of the program;

(2) A requirement that no less than twenty percent of the moneys from the program implementation grants be used for identification and intervention programs in elementary and middle schools;

(3) Counting students attending a program conducted under sections 201 through 205 of this act outside the regular school-year calendar for the purposes of state basic education funding allocations, to the extent that such attendance is in lieu of attendance within the regular school-year calendar;

(4) Determining the number of children within a participating district who fail to complete their elementary and secondary education; and

(5) Any other provisions adopted by the superintendent of public instruction to administer the program under sections 201 through 205 of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 205. The superintendent of public instruction shall identify and disseminate information about effective programs to all school districts and other interested parties.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 206. Section 21, chapter 278, Laws of 1984 and RCW 28A.03.380 are each repealed.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 207. Sections 201 through 205 of this act are each added to chapter 28A.03 RCW.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 208. The citizens of the state of Washington recognize the serious impact of alcohol and drug abuse on a child's self concept and on the ability of a child to learn. Therefore, the youth substance abuse awareness program is established: (1) To aid students in the development of skills that will aid them in making decisions concerning the use of drugs and alcohol; (2) to help achieve and sustain a drug-free educational environment; and (3) to aid school districts in the development and implementation of comprehensive drug and alcohol policies leading to the implementation of a drug and alcohol program that contains prevention, intervention, and aftercare components.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 209. (1) The superintendent of public instruction shall adopt rules implementing sections 208 through 212 of this act and shall distribute funds appropriated for this purpose to school districts for the planning, development, and implementation of school programs and policies regarding the use and abuse of drugs and alcohol. The rules implementing these sections shall meet federal requirements which are a necessary condition to the receipt of federal funds for such programs by the state.

(2) The following shall be submitted from school districts as a condition of receipt of funding under this section:

(a) A comprehensive policy on drugs and alcohol adopted by the district board of directors, or a commitment from the board of directors to adopt a comprehensive policy within six months following receipt of funding. The comprehensive policy shall address the issues of prevention, intervention, and aftercare programs and disciplinary policies and shall emphasize cooperation and coordination of services among public and private agencies, including law enforcement agencies;

(b) An assessment of the scope of the problem of substance abuse for both drugs and alcohol within the district including use and abuse by students and the community;

(d) Identification of the members of the school district's school and community substance abuse advisory committee under subsection (4) of this section; and

(e) Proposed procedures for the evaluation of the effectiveness of the district's program.

(3) Funds made available under the youth substance abuse awareness program may be used to support:

(a) Comprehensive program development;

(b) Prevention programs;

(d) Secondary identification and intervention programs;

(e) School drug and alcohol core team development and training;

(f) Development of referral and preassessment procedures;

(g) Aftercare;

(h) Drug and alcohol specialist;

(i) Staff, parent, student, and community training;

(j) Coordination with law enforcement, community services, other school districts, and drug and alcohol treatment facilities; and

(k) Other activities consistent with the purpose of this program.

(4) The superintendent of each school district participating in the youth substance abuse awareness program shall appoint a school and community substance abuse advisory committee if one has not been established. The advisory committee shall include representatives of at least the following: The school district instructional staff, students, parents, and state and local government officials, law enforcement personnel, and the county coordinator of alcohol and drug treatment or his or her representative or a representative of other treatment services. The advisory committee shall provide assistance and advice to the school district regarding coordination of school district programs and services with other programs and services available within the community. The advisory committee shall assist in encouraging cooperation and the development of a continuum of prevention, intervention, and care within the total community, and in preventing the duplication of services.

(5) Joint applications and programs may be undertaken by school districts. Districts which elect to participate in a joint program may file a joint application and establish a joint school and community substance abuse advisory committee.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 210. School districts that have previously participated in plan development provided for in section 209 of this act may file an additional annual application for funds that includes: (1) Verification of the adoption of comprehensive district policies; (2) amendments to the district's comprehensive program plan, where necessary; (3) proposed areas of expenditures; (4) a plan for program evaluation; and (5) an evaluation report of the effectiveness of the previously funded program one year after the program is implemented including all the information required in this section.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 211. The superintendent of public instruction shall appoint an advisory committee on substance abuse composed of representatives of certificated and noncertificated staff, administrators, parents, school directors, the bureau of alcohol and substance abuse, the traffic safety commission, and county coordinators of alcohol and drug treatment. The committee shall advise the superintendent on matters of program development, coordination, and evaluation.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 212. The superintendent of public instruction shall identify and disseminate information about effective programs to all school districts and other interested parties.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 213. If any part of sections 208 through 212 of this act is found to be in conflict with federal requirements which are a prescribed condition to the allocation of federal funds to the state, the conflicting part of sections 208 through 212 of this act is hereby declared to be inoperative solely to the extent of the conflict and with respect to the agencies directly affected, and such finding or determination shall not affect the operation of the remainder of sections 208 through 212 of this act in its application to the agencies concerned.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 214. Sections 210 through 213 of this act are added to Title 28A RCW.

PART III - COMMUNITY SCHOOL SUPPORT

NEW SECTION. Sec. 301. A new section is added to chapter 28A.58 RCW to read as follows:

School districts shall develop school involvement programs. These programs will be in addition to the policies on parents' access to classrooms and school activities under RCW 28A.58.053. As part of the program, school districts' policies and plans should be designed to encourage and accommodate the participation in school activities by persons interested and involved with school-age children. The plans should include, but are not limited to, encouraging classroom observation, parent-teacher consultations, participation in special programs, participation in policy-making or advisory groups at the district and school level, and school volunteer activities.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 302. A new section is added to chapter 28A.58 RCW to read as follows:

School districts are encouraged to provide information to local businesses, organizations, and governmental agencies about the school involvement program under section 301 of this act. The school districts may seek suggestions from local businesses, organizations, and governmental agencies about implementing the school involvement program. School districts may enter into agreements with private businesses and organizations and state and local governmental agencies to facilitate employee participation in the program.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 303. A new section is added to chapter 28A.58 RCW to read as follows:

The superintendent of public instruction shall identify and disseminate information about effective programs under sections 301 and 302 of this act to all school districts and other interested parties.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 304. If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.