Child victims and witnesses have a number of rights, which apply to any criminal court or juvenile court proceedings, including:
Law enforcement agencies, prosecutors offices, or state agencies can provide school districts with the name, address or photograph of a living child victim or witness involved in any criminal court or juvenile court proceeding without the permission of the child victim, child witness, parents, or legal guardians.
PRO: If a student falls asleep, is late with an assignment, or is not acting like themselves, the school staff who is trauma informed may be able to help instead of punishing the student.
This program is up and running in Kitsap but some have a different interpretation of the statute that a school isn't a government agency, so this bill is just a small fix. When a student is picked up by first responders, the school only gets the student's name.
CON: There are confidentiality concerns. The kid, or parent, should have to give permission.
OTHER: The Handle with Care program is helpful in other states but here, the change proposed does not provide a formed path, training requirements are missing. We must be aware of unintentional consequences.