H-0540.1

HOUSE BILL 1411

ByRepresentatives Ortiz-Self, Santos, Berry, Lekanoff, Pollet, and Doglio

AN ACT Relating to supporting student success through cross-sector professional development informed by a study of measures of and mitigators for community risk and protective factors; adding a new section to chapter 28A.415 RCW; creating new sections; and providing an expiration date.

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

(2)(a) The legislature finds that educational policies and practices have changed since 2015. For example, legislation enacted in 2016: (i) Prohibits school districts from suspending the provision of educational services to students as a disciplinary action; (ii) limits student suspension or expulsion to the length of an academic term and requires a reengagement meeting that includes the student's family; and (iii) prohibits long-term suspension or expulsion as a form of discretionary discipline. The same legislation required collection and publication of student data disaggregated by subracial and subethnic categories. In addition, legislation enacted in 2019 resulted in the adoption of state social-emotional learning standards and benchmarks for students that were also incorporated into standards for the preparation and licensure of principals, teachers, and paraeducators.

(b)(i) The legislature recognizes that the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted learning and well-being for many elementary and secondary students. Standardized test results indicate that preexisting disproportionalities were widened during the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2021, the governor issued an emergency order proclaiming a crisis in the mental and behavioral health of many children and youth.

(ii) The legislature acknowledges that the COVID-19 pandemic further strained households experiencing food hardships. The July 2021 Washington food security survey found that one-third of households with children were food insecure. Not having consistent access to enough food, let alone healthy food, can affect children's physical and mental health, including their attention span and cognitive abilities.

(3) The legislature finds that all students were affected by the unusual social and academic changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and that many students experienced traumas during this time that affected their mental and behavioral health. The legislature acknowledges that professional learning activities and professional collaboration tend to focus on the adults within school buildings and school districts, but that students are served and supported by adults in their communities, as well.

(4) Therefore, the legislature intends to facilitate a coordinated approach to student support by providing funding for collaborative cross-sector trainings on topics, such as mental and behavioral health management, to staff of school districts and community-based organizations, such as boys and girls clubs and dispute resolution centers. The legislature also intends to direct Washington State University to update its 2015 report and recommendations for supporting student success through measuring and mitigating community risk and protective predictors to determine the effects of policies and practices implemented since 2015 and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to provide recommendations for best practices yet to be implemented in Washington. The legislature plans to require that funding for the collaborative cross-sector trainings be prioritized to benefit staff serving students involved in the juvenile justice system and to students attending school districts identified through the Washington State University study as being in communities with higher traumas and risks.

(2) By December 1, 2023, a report must be completed that analyzes educational programs, services, and related academic and nonacademic supports provided by public schools and community-based organizations in partnership with schools. The analysis must be conducted using data collected from public schools and community-based organizations in partnership with public schools. At a minimum, the report must: (a) Summarize new educational services and related academic and nonacademic supports offered by public schools and community-based organizations since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic; (b) estimate the number of elementary and secondary students and their families receiving these services and supports, including during out-of-school time; (c) describe where and how social-emotional learning standards and benchmarks are being implemented at public schools; (d) describe the results of an analysis of the extent to which students with individualized education programs and with section 504 plans were connected to in-school and out-of-school services specified in their programs and plans during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to prior to the COVID-19 pandemic; (e) recommend educational programs, services, and related academic and nonacademic supports that have been shown through evidence to increase student educational outcomes; and (f) recommend changes to state laws to make use of best practices more consistent across the state.

(3)(a) By December 1, 2024, a report must update the data analysis required by chapter 196, Laws of 2014. As required in 2014, the geographic analysis must be conducted using existing data to identify areas where the cumulative effect of family factors, such as employment, health status, safety, and stability, correlate with academic and behavioral indicators of student success. This report must include maps that illustrate community variation in family factors as they relate to kindergarten through 12th grade and postsecondary education outcomes and keeping all children on track for success. To the extent possible, the locales highlighted in the earlier report must be highlighted in the new report.

(b) At a minimum, the report must include:

(i) The prevalence of family and community health, safety, and stability factors relevant to student success;

(ii) Resilience factors that are statistically correlated with improved population outcomes even in populations with family, health, safety, and stability challenges;

(iii) Correlation of the factors in (b)(ii) of this subsection with community variation in academic, behavior, and graduation outcomes;

(iv) Implications for policy targeted at improving kindergarten through 12th grade or postsecondary outcomes;

(v) Disaggregation of student data as provided in RCW 28A.300.042 (1) and (3).

(4) The reports required by this section must be submitted to the appropriate committees of the legislature in accordance with RCW 43.01.036.

(5) As used in this section, "public schools" has the same meaning as in RCW 28A.150.010.

(6) This section expires August 1, 2025.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 28A.415 RCW to read as follows:

(1)(a) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall distribute funding to school districts and institutional education providers to partner with community-based organizations that fit the description in subsection (3) of this section to offer cross-sector trainings on one or more of the topics listed in subsection (2) of this section.

(b) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall prioritize distribution of funding under this subsection (1) in the following order:

(i) Institutional education providers, as defined in RCW 28A.190.005; and

(ii) School districts in a community identified by the child and family research unit at the Washington State University extension as having a high number of adverse childhood experiences, prioritized to the school districts who are the lowest performers, as identified using the accountability framework created under RCW 28A.657.110.

(2) Cross-sector trainings identified or offered under this section must be on one of the following topics: Social-emotional learning; mental and behavioral health management; teaching students to be peer mediators; and antiharassment, intimidation, and bullying.

(3) Community-based organizations partnering with school districts under this section must be those that provide youth with activities that compliment and support classroom-based instruction and can improve student learning, behavior, and achievement.

(4) The center for the improvement of student learning, established within the office of the superintendent of public instruction, shall identify training programs on the topics listed in subsection (2) of this section. The identified trainings must be either designed for cross-sector implementation or be able to be modified for cross-sector implementation.

(5) School districts receiving funding under subsection (1) of this section:

(a) Must partner with one or more community-based organizations that fit the description in subsection (3) of this section to offer cross-sector trainings on one or more of the topics listed in subsection (2) of this section to:

(i) At the school district, staff who have regular, sustained interactions with students; and

(ii) At the community-based organization, relevant student support professionals;

(b) Must, to the extent possible, offer the cross-sector trainings in face-to-face settings; and

(c) May co-offer cross-sector trainings with other school districts in the catchment area of the community-based organization.

(6) School and community-based organization staff may use participation in a training offered under subsection (5) of this section to meet continuing education requirements established by the Washington professional educator standards board and professional development requirements established by the paraeducator board.

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