wa-law.org > bill > 2025-26 > HB 1634 > Third Substitute
The legislature finds that:
According to the 2023 healthy youth survey, approximately one-quarter of Washington children and youth ages three through 17 experience mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral problems;
Prevention, early identification, early intervention, and crisis intervention for these problems improve educational outcomes, reduce involvement with the judicial system, increase long-term well-being, and reduce the public costs associated with chronic and severe behavioral health needs; and
The state's behavioral health system remains fragmented and does not consistently provide children and youth and their families with timely, coordinated, and effective services and supports.
The legislature further finds that:
The children and youth behavioral health work group adopted the "Washington thriving" strategic plan in November 2025, as required by RCW 74.09.4951, to transform the behavioral health system for residents from birth to age 25; and
The strategic plan identifies goals that include a connected, coordinated, collaborative, accountable, and sustainable behavioral health ecosystem and the provision of coordinated, accessible, effective services and supports across a full continuum of comprehensive offerings, including services delivered where children and youth and their families spend time, such as at schools.
The legislature finds that school districts and public education entities already have responsibilities and infrastructure related to student behavioral health, including:
Adoption of student emotional and behavioral distress plans required of school districts under RCW 28A.320.127, including identification of staff training opportunities and partnerships with agencies and community organizations for referral of students to behavioral health services;
Behavioral health coordination and related support required of the regional school safety centers under RCW 28A.310.510, including support for the development and implementation of student emotional and behavioral distress plans, suicide prevention training, and facilitation of partnerships between school districts, public schools, and behavioral health systems; and
Biennial obligations to train school staff in mental health literacy, social-emotional learning, and trauma-informed practices.
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The legislature further finds that school districts and public schools use a variety of structured systems to support students' readiness to learn, for example multitiered systems of support and the Washington integrated student supports protocol.
The Washington integrated student supports protocol, established under RCW 28A.300.139 includes student and system needs assessments, integration and coordination of academic and nonacademic supports, community partnerships, and outcome tracking.
Therefore, the legislature intends to strengthen cross-agency coordination between public education entities and behavioral health partners so that public schools can serve as an access point for prevention, early identification, early intervention, and crisis intervention as part of a coordinated continuum of regional and statewide behavioral health services and supports for children and youth and their families.
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To support students' readiness to learn, school districts and public schools must have access to the prevention, early identification, early intervention, and crisis intervention assistance, resources, and training necessary for schools to utilize and integrate with a statewide system of coordinated care for children and youth and their families.
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The office of the superintendent of public instruction, including the state school safety center established in RCW 28A.300.630, and the educational service districts, including the regional school safety centers established in RCW 28A.310.510, must collaborate and coordinate with state, regional, and local agencies and community partners involved in behavioral health services for children and youth to develop a technical assistance and training framework to provide school districts and public schools with assistance in supporting student behavioral health, including identifying systems' needs, mapping resources, accessing available funding, and connecting to community-based behavioral health services and supports.
The purpose of the technical assistance and training framework is to improve coordination, reduce duplication, and increase access to prevention, early identification, early intervention, and crisis intervention behavioral health services and supports.
The technical assistance and training framework must, at a minimum:
Align with the behavioral health goals and guiding principles outlined in the strategic plan adopted by the children and youth behavioral health work group in November 2025, as required by RCW 74.09.4951;
Incorporate evidence-based and evidence-informed practices for equipping school districts and public schools with tools, resources, and guidance for prevention, early identification, early intervention, and crisis intervention behavioral health services and supports to students and their families;
Include best practices and procedures for engaging state, regional, and local agency and community partners involved in behavioral health services for children and youth, and for enabling school districts and public schools to access any technical assistance, resources, training, and services made available through those partners;
Establish roles, processes, and delivery methods for the office of the superintendent of public instruction, the educational service districts, and participating agency and community partners to optimize the statewide and regional delivery of technical assistance, resources, and training to school districts and public schools;
Identify and incorporate strategies to braid and coordinate state, federal, local, and private resources to support prevention, early identification, early intervention, and crisis intervention activities that promote student behavioral health;
Support school district and public school application of the Washington integrated student supports protocol, established under RCW 28A.300.139;
Include strategies and tools for engaging families and community partners in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of school district and public school wellness initiatives, with the goal of promoting a holistic approach to student wellness supports;
Include strategies and procedures to support school districts and public schools in accessing training, technical assistance, and community resources that support student behavioral health through the technical assistance and training framework; and
In developing the technical assistance and training framework, the office of the superintendent of public instruction and the educational service districts may consult and collaborate with, at a minimum: Large and small, and rural and urban school districts; the health care authority; the department of health; the tribal leaders congress on education; an association representing Washington's federally recognized tribes; representatives of associations representing behavioral health professionals working in public schools; representatives of organizations advocating for and supporting parents and families with students in public schools; and state and local agencies, institutions of higher education, and community-based organizations involved in behavioral health services for children and youth.
The office of the superintendent of public instruction and the educational service districts must design the technical assistance and training framework to support braiding and coordinating of current and future state, federal, and private funding streams to support development, implementation, and ongoing delivery of the technical assistance and training framework and related guidance and assistance to school districts and public schools.
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The office of the superintendent of public instruction, the educational service districts, school districts, and public schools must continue to comply with all responsibilities to promote student behavioral health required by law, including RCW 28A.310.510, 28A.320.127, and 28A.415.445(1), while the technical assistance and training framework is developed.
After the technical assistance and training framework is developed, the office of the superintendent of public instruction and the educational service districts must use the framework to optimize delivery and coordination of behavioral health technical assistance, resources, training, and supports, including by improving identification of and access to available behavioral health services, supports, and funding streams.
The office of the superintendent of public instruction must provide an update on the development of the technical assistance and training framework to the appropriate committees of the legislature by November 1, 2027, and in compliance with RCW 43.01.036.
This section does not impose additional duties on school districts or public schools beyond those otherwise required by law.
For purposes of this section, "public schools" has the same meaning as in RCW 28A.150.010.