wa-law.org > bill > 2025-26 > HB 1894 > Original Bill

HB 1894 - Tribes/K-12 instruction

Source

Section 1

  1. To the extent funds are available, an Indian education division, to be known as the office of Native education, is created within the office of the superintendent of public instruction. The superintendent shall appoint an individual to be responsible for the office of Native education.

  2. To the extent state funds are available, with additional support of federal and local funds where authorized by law, the office of Native education shall:

    1. Provide assistance to school districts in meeting the educational needs of American Indian and Alaska Native students;

    2. Facilitate the development and implementation of curricula and instructional materials in native languages, culture and history, and the concept of tribal sovereignty pursuant to RCW 28A.320.170;

    3. Provide assistance to districts in the acquisition of funding to develop curricula and instructional materials in conjunction with native language practitioners and tribal elders;

    4. Coordinate technical assistance for public schools that serve American Indian and Alaska Native students;

    5. Seek funds to develop, in conjunction with the Washington state native American education advisory committee, and implement the following support services for the purposes of both increasing the number of American Indian and Alaska Native teachers and principals and providing continued professional development for educational assistants, teachers, and principals serving American Indian and Alaska Native students:

      1. Recruitment and retention;

      2. Academic transition programs;

      3. Academic financial support;

      4. Teacher preparation;

    6. Teacher induction; and

    1. Professional development;

    1. Facilitate the inclusion of native language programs in school districts' curricula;

    2. Work with all relevant agencies and committees to highlight the need for accurate, useful data that is appropriately disaggregated to provide a more accurate picture regarding American Indian and Alaska Native students; and

    3. Report to the governor, the legislature, and the governor's office of Indian affairs on an annual basis regarding the state of Indian education and the implementation of all state laws regarding Indian education, specifically noting system successes and accomplishments, deficiencies, and needs. The reports issued in 2026 through 2029, must also include: Information about consultations and collaborations between school districts and federally recognized Indian tribes under RCW 28A.320.170, including tribal perspectives on the implementation of the required curriculum; and recommendations for promoting tribal consultation efforts with school districts.

Section 2

  1. [Empty]

    1. Beginning July 24, 2015, when a school district board of directors reviews or adopts its social studies curriculum, it shall incorporate curricula about the history, culture, and government of the nearest federally recognized Indian tribe or tribes, so that students learn about the unique heritage and experience of their closest neighbors. School districts must incorporate the curricular requirements of this section no later than September 1, 2026.

    2. School districts shall meet the requirements of this section by using the John McCoy (lulilaš) since time immemorial curriculum developed and made available free of charge by the office of the superintendent of public instruction and may modify that curriculum in order to incorporate elements that have a regionally specific focus or to incorporate the curriculum into existing curricular materials.

  2. As school districts conduct regularly scheduled reviews and revisions of their social studies and history curricula, they shall consult and collaborate with any federally recognized Indian tribe within their district, and with neighboring Indian tribes, including federally recognized Indian tribes whose traditional lands and territories included parts of Washington, but that now reside in Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia, to incorporate expanded and improved curricular materials about Indian tribes, and to create programs of classroom and community cultural exchanges.

  3. [Empty]

    1. School districts shall collaborate with the office of Native education created in RCW 28A.300.105 within the office of the superintendent of public instruction and the office of the superintendent of public instruction on curricular areas regarding tribal government and history that are statewide in nature, such as the concept of tribal sovereignty and the history of federal policy towards federally recognized Indian tribes.

    2. The office of the superintendent of public instruction, through the office of Native education, shall:

      1. Assist local school districts to identify federally recognized Indian tribes whose reservations are in whole or in part within the boundaries of the district and those that are nearest to the school district, including federally recognized Indian tribes whose traditional lands and territories included parts of Washington, but that now reside in Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia; and

      2. Collaborate with tribes that may have unique consultation challenges under this section, such as consulting with a large number of school districts or with school districts that have large student enrollments.

Section 3

Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, the state board of education, in coordination with the office of Native education created in RCW 28A.300.105 within the office of the superintendent of public instruction, shall implement a system of annual monitoring and evaluations of school district compliance with RCW 28A.320.170. The monitoring and evaluations, which may be conducted concurrently with other oversight and monitoring conducted by the state board of education, must include collected information for each school district about:

  1. Collaborations with federally recognized Indian tribes;

  2. The grade levels in which the curriculum is taught;

  3. The courses for which credit may be awarded and the number of students enrolled in, and having received credit for, those courses during the preceding school year;

  4. Summaries of the curriculum implementation process; and

  5. The availability and implementation of applicable professional development.

  6. Beginning in 2027 and concluding in 2029, the state board of education, in accordance with RCW 43.01.036, shall annually report to the education committees of the legislature that summarizes school district compliance with RCW 28A.320.170. The reports required by this subsection may be incorporated within other oversight and monitoring reports produced by the state board of education.

  7. This section expires September 1, 2029.

Section 4

  1. By September 1, 2026, the office of the superintendent of public instruction, in conjunction with the office of Native education created in RCW 28A.300.105 within the office of the superintendent of public instruction, shall report to the education committees of the legislature concerning recommendations for:

    1. Compensating federally recognized Indian tribes, including federally recognized Indian tribes whose traditional lands and territories included parts of Washington, but that now reside in Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia, who provide expertise, consultation, or collaboration pursuant to RCW 28A.320.170;

    2. Retroactively compensating federally recognized Indian tribes, including federally recognized Indian tribes whose traditional lands and territories included parts of Washington, but that now reside in Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia, who have previously provided expertise, consultation, or collaboration pursuant to RCW 28A.320.170; and

    3. Evaluation and accountability metrics for the implementation of the curriculum and government-to-government consultation described in RCW 28A.320.170.

  2. This section expires August 1, 2027.

Created by @tannewt. Contribute on GitHub.