Children and Youth Behavioral Health Work Group.  The Children and Youth Behavioral Health Work Group (work group) was first established in 2016. The work group has an advisory group focused on school-based behavioral health and suicide prevention, which is staffed by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). 

In 2022, the work group was tasked with developing a draft strategic plan that describes the current landscape of behavioral health services and a vision for the system.  A draft strategic plan is due by October 1, 2024, and the final strategic plan must be included in the work group's 2024 annual report.

Delegation to Educational Service Districts.  OSPI may contractually delegate to any of the nine educational service districts (ESD) or a combination of ESDs all or any portion of a program, project, or service authorized or directed by the Legislature to be performed by OSPI.

Regional School Safety Centers.  Subject to appropriations, each ESD must establish a regional school safety center that includes:

• behavioral health coordination; 
• school-based threat assessment coordination;
• training, technical assistance, and certain information; and
• the development of collaborative relationships.

Student Assistance Prevention and Intervention Services Program.  According to the Health Care Authority (HCA), this agency contracts with each of the ESDs to administer the Student Assistance Prevention and Intervention Services Program (program).  The program places student assistance professionals in local schools to serve students at risk of using alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs and students struggling with substance abuse.  General prevention activities include supervising peer leadership clubs; providing information to students, staff, and families; and coordinating with community services.

Plan for Recognition, Screening, and Response to Emotional or Behavioral Distress in Students.  Each school district is required to adopt a plan for recognition, initial screening, and response to emotional or behavioral distress in students such as possible substance abuse, violence, youth suicide, and sexual abuse.  The plan must include specified components including training opportunities, how staff should respond to warning signs, partnering with community organizations, protocols for communicating with parents and guardians, and how to respond in a crisis situation.

Washington Integrated Student Supports Protocol.  The purpose of this protocol is to support a school-based approach to promoting the success of all students by coordinating academic and nonacademic supports to reduce barriers to academic achievement and educational attainment.  The essential framework of the protocol includes needs assessments, integration and coordination with community-based providers, and data to determine student progress and needs.

State-Level Coordination for Behavioral Health.  Subject to appropriations, OSPI must provide state-level coordination to help schools better identify and connect students to behavioral health supports in school and interconnected community settings.

OSPI must collaborate with the Washington Association of Educational Service Districts (AESD) and other state agencies, including the HCA, the Department of Health, and the Department of Children, Youth, and Families, to develop a framework for coordinated student support related to behavioral health.

In collaboration with these agencies, OSPI must also:

• coordinate with training and technical assistance entities that can support designing, funding, and implementing comprehensive student behavioral health supports based on the framework;
• collect and make available evidence-based practices, including practices aligned with the Washington Integrated Student Supports Protocol;
• facilitate student access to mental and behavioral health supports and reduce barriers to school-based services;
• deploy student school-based substance use and behavioral health assessment, intervention, and referral activities in alignment with evidence-based practices; 
• develop and maintain school substance abuse prevention and intervention resources;
• develop a review process for continuous improvement of services and monitor the impact and alignment of statewide efforts; and
• support the required activities of the Regional School-Based Mental and Behavioral Health Student Assistance Program.

OSPI must also support and implement elements from the strategic plan developed by the work group, subject to appropriated funds.

Regional School-Based Mental and Behavioral Health Student Assistance Program.  Establishment and Purpose.  Subject to appropriations, the Regional School-Based Mental and Behavioral Health Student Assistance Program is established to support increased regional deployment of behavioral and mental health supports, including substance abuse prevention and intervention services in communities with limited access to services.

Regional Program Requirements.  Each regional program must work in conjunction with OSPI to form a statewide network for student mental and behavioral health.

In addition, each program must:

• provide student behavioral health assistance, prevention, and intervention services in schools;
• support school districts in providing direct student screening in mental health and substance abuse;
• collaborate with regional school safety centers by sharing information and resources to ensure alignment, as necessary and appropriate; and
• support behavioral health career pathways through hiring new nonlicensed staff who receive training, supervision, and internship opportunities to explore career pathways.

ESDs that are licensed as behavioral health agencies may pilot the integration of telehealth services to support students in need of more focused mental health treatment support.

Program Coordination. AESD must provide overall program coordination and support by establishing consistent criteria for school participation, establishing an overall evaluation and reporting process for program outcomes, and coordinating statewide data collection and reporting from the regional programs.

Grant Program to Develop a Plan for Recognition, Screening, and Response to Emotional or Behavioral Distress in Students.  Subject to appropriations, OSPI must establish a grant program to support school districts in developing and implementing a plan for recognition, screening, and response to emotional or behavioral distress in students.  The grant funds must be prioritized for local education agencies that have not yet developed a plan, and may be used to:

• support training;
• develop model school safety policies and procedures; and
• identify and implement best practices in school-based mental and behavioral health.

To the greatest extent possible, OSPI must pair grantees with OSPI and the Regional School-Based Mental and Behavioral Health Student Assistance Program.  Pairing the grantees with these services is intended to support local education agency planning, connect staff to effective training and technical assistance, and ensure community-center implementation.