S-5214.1

SENATE BILL 6264

BySenators McCoy, Wellman, Kuderer, Hasegawa, Das, Nguyen, Wilson, C., and Hunt

AN ACT Relating to school district consultation with local tribes; amending RCW 28A.345.070; and adding a new section to chapter 28A.300 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 28A.300 RCW to read as follows:

(1)(a) The office of the superintendent of public instruction and the Washington state school directors' association government-to-government task force shall collaborate with the tribal leaders congress on education to develop a tribal consultation training and schedule.

(b) The tribal consultation training and schedule created under this section shall be offered by the office of Native education in the office of the superintendent of public instruction.

(c) The tribal consultation and training must be developed and finalized by January 1, 2021.

(d) The tribal consultation training must incorporate, at a minimum, the following issues:

(i) Identification of Native students, including federal identification guidelines for American Indian and Alaskan Native students;

(ii) Data sharing between school districts and tribes, including model policies and procedures created by the Washington state school directors' association and the United States bureau of Indian education; and

(iii) Implementation of the tribal history, culture, and government curriculum under RCW 28A.320.170.

(2)(a) School district directors and educational service district board members must take and certify completion of the tribal consultation training created under this section by the following dates:

(i) By September 1, 2021, for directors of school districts or board members of districts that are required to perform tribal consultation under Title VI of the federal every student succeeds act (P.L. 114-95, 20 U.S.C. Sec. 1001 et seq., 20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.);

(ii) By September 1, 2023, for directors of school districts or board members of districts that do not fall under (a)(i) of this subsection but that have at least fifty students that are reported as American Indian/Alaskan Native under RCW 28A.300.042 as of October 1, 2020; and

(iii) By September 1, 2024, for directors of school districts or board members of districts that do not fall under (a)(i) or (ii) of this subsection.

(b) All school district directors and educational service district board members must take the consultation training by September 1, 2024.

(c) All directors of school districts or board members of districts that take the tribal consultation training under this section must renew the certification of completion of the training within five years of the date of initial certification.

(3) The office of the superintendent of public instruction may adopt rules to implement this section.

Sec. 2. RCW 28A.345.070 and 2005 c 205 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Beginning in ((2006))2021, and at least once annually through ((2010))2025, the Washington state school directors' association ((is encouraged to))shall convene regional meetings and invite the tribal councils from the region for the purpose of establishing government-to-government relationships and dialogue between tribal councils and school district boards of directors. Participants in these meetings should discuss issues of mutual concern, and should work to:

(a) Identify the extent and nature of the achievement gap and strategies necessary to close it;

(b) Increase mutual awareness and understanding of the importance of accurate, high-quality curriculum materials about the history, culture, and government of local tribes; and

(c) Encourage school boards to identify and adopt curriculum that includes tribal experiences and perspectives, so that Indian students are more engaged and learn more successfully, and so that all students learn about the history, culture, government, and experiences of their Indian peers and neighbors.

(2) Regional meetings must also include discussions of:

(3) By December 1, ((2008))2023, and every two years thereafter ((through 2012)), the school directors' association shall report to the education committees of the legislature regarding the progress made in the development of effective government-to-government relations, the narrowing of the achievement gap, and the identification and adoption of curriculum regarding tribal history, culture, and government. The report shall include information about any obstacles encountered, and any strategies under development to overcome them.

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