H-342                _______________________________________________

                                                    HOUSE BILL NO. 787

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1987 Regular Session

By Representatives Zellinsky, Haugen, Hargrove, Sanders, Winsley and L. Smith

Read first time 2/9/87 and referred to Committee on Education.

AN ACT Relating to reporting drug and alcohol abuse in the schools; adding a new section to chapter 28A.87 RCW; and providing penalties.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 28A.87 RCW to read as follows:

          (1) Professional school personnel, which shall include for the purposes of this section teachers, counselors, administrators, and school nurses, shall report any incident of drug or alcohol use by a student to the school principal if he or she has reasonable grounds to  believe that such use has occurred.  The report shall be made at the first opportunity, but in no case longer than forty-eight hours after there is reasonable cause to believe that the student is using alcohol or drugs.

          (2) The principal shall transmit the report to the student's parent or guardian and to the appropriate law enforcement officials.

          (3) Any person participating in good faith in the making of a report under this section or testifying as to the alleged use of alcohol or drugs in a judicial proceeding shall in so doing be immune from any liability arising out of such reporting or testifying under any law of this state or its political subdivisions.

          (4) Conduct conforming with the reporting requirements of this section shall not be deemed a violation of any applicable confidential communication privilege.

          (5) Any person who is required to make or to cause to be made, a report under this section and who knowingly fails to make or cause to be made such report shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.