H-4613.3

SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2583

ByHouse Education (originally sponsored by Representatives Caldier, Dent, and Corry)

AN ACT Relating to student transportation for students in out-of-home placements; adding a new section to chapter 28A.160 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28A.630 RCW; and providing an expiration date.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 28A.160 RCW to read as follows:

(1)(a) By December 31, 2020, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall establish a uniform process designed to collect and report information related to transportation to and from the school of origin for students placed in out-of-home care outside their school of origin district. The information must include transportation distance and time, mode of transit, additional expenditures, including expenditures required under the foster care provisions in the elementary and secondary education act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. Sec. 6301 et seq.) and the fostering connections to success and increasing adoptions act of 2008 (P.L. 110-351), and source of expenditure revenue.

(b) Once established, the superintendent of public instruction shall adopt the necessary administrative rules to direct each school district to adopt and use the uniform process to collect the required information and report it to the office of the superintendent of public instruction.

(2) Within existing resources, the office of the superintendent of public instruction must provide technical assistance to school districts related to transporting students placed in out-of-home care outside their school of origin district. The technical assistance must include assistance with using the information collection and reporting process described under subsection (1) of this section, complying with state allocation reporting requirements, providing efficient transportation services, and maximizing revenue that can be used to transport out-of-home care students.

(3) For the purposes of this section, "out-of-home care" has the same meaning as in RCW 13.34.030.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28A.630 RCW to read as follows:

(1) By October 1, 2022, and in compliance with RCW 43.01.036, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall report to the appropriate committees of the legislature the following information:

(a) The number of interdistrict enrollments each student in out-of-home care, as defined in RCW 13.34.030, experienced during the 2021-22 school year;

(b) An analysis of travel distance data collected during the 2021-22 school year for students placed in out-of-home care outside their school of origin district, including the distance:

(i) From the out-of-home care placement to the school of origin;

(ii) From the out-of-home care placement to the school of enrollment, if the student is no longer enrolled in the school of origin; and

(iii) From the school of origin to the school of enrollment, if the student is no longer enrolled in the school of origin;

(c) A summary of information related to transporting students placed in out-of-home care outside their school of origin district to and from their school of origin reported by school districts as required under section 1(1) of this act;

(d) A summary of technical assistance provided to school districts as required under section 1(2) of this act; and

(e) Recommendations for improving the processes for appropriately compensating school districts for the costs of transporting students placed in out-of-home care outside their school of origin district to and from their school of origin.

(2) This section expires August 31, 2023.

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