S-4296

AN ACT Relating to interference with school activities; amending RCW 28A.635.090 and 28A.635.100; creating a new section; repealing RCW 28A.635.120; and prescribing penalties.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that incidents of violence in schools raise concerns about ensuring and promoting school safety. For learning to occur, schools must first be safe places for children, teachers, and other school employees. Recognizing that violent behavior tends to escalate if tolerated, it is the intent of the legislature to provide targeted and appropriate sanctions for the interference with school activities by force or violence before it rises to the level of substantial or grievous bodily harm.

The legislature further finds that interscholastic activities provide valuable opportunities for participants to develop social and personal skills that can be useful throughout their lives. These activities also benefit other students and spectators by building school spirit, unity, community support, and community identity. Interscholastic activities would not be possible without the commitment of officials, judges, referees, and volunteers who work at the events for little or no financial gain. The legislature finds that the values engendered in interscholastic activities are being undermined by participants and spectators who do not respect the commitment of these officials. Increasingly, these people are expressing their dissatisfaction through inappropriate verbal abuse and behavior directed at the officials. The legislature recognizes that officials, judges, referees, and volunteers at interscholastic events are particularly vulnerable to inappropriate conduct because their attention is focused on the conduct of the events. The legislature intends to provide additional support and protection for officials conducting interscholastic events.

Sec. 2. RCW 28A.635.090 and 1996 c 321 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) It ((~~shall be~~)) is unlawful for any person, singly or in concert with others, to interfere by force or violence with any administrator, teacher, classified employee, person under contract with the school or school district, sports official certified by or registered with the Washington interscholastic activities association, or student of any common school who is in the peaceful discharge or conduct of his or her duties or studies.

(2) Any such interference by force or violence committed by a student shall be grounds for immediate suspension or expulsion of the student. If the interference is committed by a student at an interscholastic activity, the student may be excluded from participating in or attending that activity for up to twelve months.

(3) Any person who violates this section is guilty of a gross misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereon, shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars, or imprisoned in jail not more than six months, or both such fine and imprisonment. A person, other than a student, shall, upon conviction, be excluded from entering the school where the crime was committed or attending the interscholastic activity in which the crime was committed for a period of up to twelve months.

Sec. 3. RCW 28A.635.100 and 1990 c 33 s 541 are each amended to read as follows:

It ((~~shall be~~)) is unlawful for any person, singly or in concert with others, to intimidate by threat of force or violence any administrator, teacher, classified employee, or student of any common school who is in the peaceful discharge or conduct of his or her duties or studies.

Any person who violates this section is guilty of a gross misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereon, shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars, or imprisoned in jail not more than six months, or both such fine and imprisonment.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. RCW 28A.635.120 (Violations under RCW 28A.635.090 and 28A.635.100--Penalty) and 1990 c 33 s 543 & 1971 c 45 s 6 are each repealed.