The legislature recognizes the invaluable role that public schools have in preparing students for success in postsecondary education, gainful employment, and citizenship. The success of students and schools, however, is reliant upon a partnership of mutual trust, respect, and support between school officials and the communities they serve.
The legislature recognizes also that the unique challenges of a years long, and still ongoing, global pandemic have shed additional light on the critical and ever-evolving relationships between parents, teachers, and schools. As a result, new opportunities have arisen for strengthening these relationships and promoting the academic and community environments that foster authentic student engagement and learning.
The legislature, therefore, in the interest of making instructional materials more accessible to parents and legal guardians, while simultaneously respecting the professional judgment of teachers and the importance of a free exchange of ideas in classrooms, intends to require school districts and other education entities to annually post syllabi and lists of instructional materials used by teachers during the school year. The legislature does not intend for this act to restrict the use or selection of academic materials, or to create undue burdens upon teachers, but rather intends for its provisions to promote academic transparency and the corresponding dividends of parental trust, community support, and student success.
This section adds a new section to an existing chapter 28A.605. Here is the modified chapter for context.
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Beginning with the 2022-23 school year, each school district shall, for each classroom teacher of the school district, annually post on its website the syllabi and instructional materials selected and used by the teacher, by grade or course, as applicable, for each quarter or semester of the academic year.
Postings required by this section must: (i) Be made by the end of the academic year or May 31st, whichever is earlier; and (ii) apply to the academic year that is concluding at the time of posting.
This section governs school operation and management under RCW 28A.710.040 and 28A.715.020, and applies to charter schools established under chapter 28A.710 RCW and state-tribal education compact schools established under chapter 28A.715 RCW to the same extent as it applies to school districts.