wa-law.org > bill > 2025-26 > HB 1634 > Original Bill

HB 1634 - Behavioral health/schools

Source

Section 1

  1. A technical assistance and training network is established to provide school districts and public schools with the technical assistance, resources, and training necessary to coordinate comprehensive supports across the behavioral health continuum for their students.

  2. The network must be comprised of statewide and regional partners with specific experience and capacity to provide behavioral health-related training and technical assistance to schools. Partners may include the educational service districts, academic centers of excellence, and community-based organizations.

  3. The network must provide direct assistance to school districts and public schools for establishing, implementing, and evaluating efforts to support students across the behavioral health continuum. Assistance the network may provide to school districts and public schools includes:

    1. Conducting, or supporting local administration of, needs assessments to identify the behavioral health needs of students, including the cultural and contextual factors affecting students' mental health;

    2. Providing professional development and other training opportunities for school district and public school staff on topics such as: Implementation science, mental health awareness, trauma-informed practices, and effective intervention strategies;

    3. Assisting school districts and public schools in designing and implementing evidence-based behavioral health programs tailored to their specific needs and resources, in alignment with school plans for recognizing and responding to emotional or behavioral distress in students under RCW 28A.320.127;

    4. Creating and distributing resources, such as guides, toolkits, and intervention materials, to support school district and public school behavioral health initiatives, including prevention efforts;

    5. Helping school districts and public schools develop and revise policies and procedures related to behavioral health support, crisis intervention, and student well-being;

    6. Facilitating behavioral health-related connections and partnerships with community-based organizations and state and local agencies to enhance support for students, leverage additional resources, and support schools in establishing and maintaining effective referral pathways;

    7. Providing strategies and tools for involving families and communities in behavioral health initiatives to foster a holistic approach to student support;

    8. Offering guidance on crisis response strategies and behavioral health crisis intervention for school district and public school staff and students; and

      1. Providing ongoing consultation and support to school districts and public schools as they implement and improve their behavioral health systems, helping to address challenges and sustain efforts over time.

  4. [Empty]

    1. The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall establish a coordinating hub to create and maintain the network.

    2. At a minimum the coordinating hub must:

      1. Create and maintain the infrastructure of the network;

      2. Provide strategic oversight to ensure the priorities of the network align with state frameworks, systemwide goals, and statutory requirements;

      3. Administer and manage grants and contracts related to the network;

      4. Establish criteria for recruiting and selecting network partners;

    3. Analyze state and local data to identify priorities for the network;

    1. Evaluate and monitor network progress towards goals and priorities on an ongoing basis; and

    2. Promote, organize, and coordinate network activities, as necessary.

    3. The coordinating hub may contract with organizations equipped with the infrastructure and expertise to effectively support and coordinate sustainable, coherent, and cohesive behavioral health initiatives within Washington's public education system.

  5. For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:

    1. "Network" means the technical assistance and training network established in this section.

    2. "Public schools" has the same meaning as in RCW 28A.150.010.

Created by @tannewt. Contribute on GitHub.