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

HB 1634 - Behavioral health/schools ¶

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Section 1 ¶

1. Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, each educational service district must establish a regional school safety center as provided in this section.

2. The regional school safety centers working in collaboration with one another and the state school safety center, established in RCW 28A.300.630, form a statewide network for school safety. The purpose of this statewide network is to provide coordination of school safety efforts throughout the state and to provide school safety resources to the school districts in each educational service district region.

3. Working in collaboration with the office of the superintendent of public instruction and the statewide network, each regional school safety center must provide to the school districts in its region:

   1. Behavioral health coordination that, at a minimum, includes:

      1. Providing support for school district development and implementation of plans for recognition, initial screening, and response to emotional or behavioral distress in students as required by RCW 28A.320.127;

      2. Suicide prevention training for school counselors, school psychologists, and school social workers;

      3. Facilitating partnerships and coordination between school districts, public schools, and existing regional and local systems of behavioral health care services and supports in order to increase student and family access to the services and supports;

      4. Assisting school districts and public schools in building capacity to identify and support students in need of behavioral health care services and to link students and families with community-based behavioral health care services;

   2. Identifying, sharing, and integrating, to the extent practicable, behavioral and physical health care service delivery models;

   6. Providing medicaid billing related training, technical assistance, and coordination between school districts; and

   7. Guidance in implementing best practices in response to, and to recover from, the suicide or attempted suicide of a student;

   2. School-based threat assessment coordination that, at a minimum, includes:

      1. Providing training and technical assistance regarding the use of the model policy and procedure to establish a school-based threat assessment program, developed under RCW 28A.300.640;

      2. Assisting with ongoing identification and implementation of best practices for school-based threat assessment programs, described under RCW 28A.320.123; and

      3. Building partnerships with community partners, such as behavioral health providers, law enforcement agencies, emergency responders, juvenile justice organizations, and child welfare agencies, for the purpose of implementing school-based threat assessment programs that comply with best practices;

   3. Assistance with coordinating other entities in the region to provide support to school districts before emergencies occur;

   4. Plan, coordinate, and deliver the trainings required by this subsection (3), and other school district staff trainings related to school safety, in order to maximize quality professional learning;

   5. Technical assistance to school districts seeking funding for first aid, health, and safety and security resources;

   6. Information about systems and programs that allow anonymous reporting of student concerns;

   7. Real-time support and assistance for school districts in crisis, such as offering information, technical assistance associated with best practices, and staff trained in responding to school emergencies;

   8. Develop collaborative relationships with community organizations, private schools, businesses, and others interested in supporting safe schools; and

      1. Other services consistent with state and federal school safety requirements, including comprehensive safe school planning under RCW 28A.320.125.

4. The regional school safety centers may, based on the needs of the school districts in their region, and in collaboration with emergency responders, provide assistance to, and facilitate communication between, emergency responders and schools or school districts impacted by emergency situations.

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   1. The regional school safety center of each educational service district, the department of health, the office of the superintendent of public instruction, the academic centers for excellence, and representatives of associations representing behavioral health professionals working in public schools shall collaborate to provide administrative support to the technical assistance and training network established in subsection (6) of this section to coordinate comprehensive supports across the behavioral health continuum for their students. At a minimum this administrative support must include:

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

      2. Managing grants and contracts related to the network;

      3. Establishing criteria for recruiting and selecting network partners;

      4. Analyzing state and local data to identify priorities for the network; and

   2. Promoting, organizing, and coordinating network activities, as necessary.

   3. The regional school safety centers, through the educational service districts, shall create and maintain the infrastructure of the network, including administering any grants or contracts managed by the network.

   4. The regional school safety centers must consult with the tribal leaders congress on education and an association representing Washington's federally recognized tribes to ensure that the technical assistance, resources, and training provided through the network are culturally responsive.

   5. The regional school safety centers, through the educational service districts, 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.

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   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 academic centers of excellence, federally recognized tribes, and associations representing behavioral health professionals working in public schools.

   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;

   4. 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, federally recognized tribes, and state and local agencies to enhance support for students, leverage additional resources, and support schools in establishing and maintaining effective referral pathways;

   7. Contracting with organizations equipped to provide behavioral telehealth services to students in compliance with chapter 18.134 RCW;

   8. Providing strategies and tools for involving families and communities in behavioral health initiatives that are culturally responsive to foster a holistic approach to student support, including informing them about available services and those that may be provided to children without parental consent;

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

   24. 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.

7. 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.

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