wa-law.org > bill > 2025-26 > SB 5386 > Original Bill
The legislative youth advisory council established under RCW 43.15.095 shall lead a collaborative discussion about the requirements for mandatory reporting of child abuse or neglect under RCW 26.44.030. The purpose of this discussion is to solicit student feedback and to have students collaborate with relevant agencies and organizations on this topic. The discussion must include:
A review of certificated and classified school employee training regarding their reporting obligations required under RCW 28A.400.317;
A review of the Washington state school directors' associations' model policies and procedures related to this topic;
A review of mandatory reporting-related components of the office of the superintendent of public instruction's 2023 report entitled supporting survivors of sexual assault in K-12 schools, including the summary of the student listening sessions and the contractor's report and recommendations; and
A review of existing systems that school districts are using for students to report concerns.
The legislative youth advisory council must conduct this discussion in no more than three meetings, and the meetings must include representatives from at least the following agencies and organizations:
Office of the superintendent of public instruction;
Department of children, youth, and families;
Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs;
Department of health;
Department of social and health services;
Washington state patrol;
Attorney general's office; and
Local community experts in sexual assault and misconduct and child abuse prevention and response.
By December 1, 2025, the legislative youth advisory council shall report to the office of the superintendent of public instruction, the Washington state school directors' association, and the appropriate committees of the legislature in compliance with RCW 43.01.036 with any recommendations it has for amending these laws to follow trauma-informed and survivor-centered best practices and any recommendations related to the training materials described in section 2 of this act and the contents of the student and family guide described in section 4 of this act.
The office of the lieutenant governor shall provide administration, supervision, and facilitation support to help the council meet the requirements of this section.
This section expires August 1, 2027.
To help meet the requirements of RCW 28A.400.317(2)(b), the office of the superintendent of public instruction, by November 1, 2026, shall post on its website, and periodically update, staff training materials on trauma-informed, survivor-centered responses to disclosures of sexual abuse, misconduct, and assault, including best practices for working with local community experts in sexual assault and misconduct and child abuse prevention and response.
The staff training materials described in this section must consider any recommendations developed by the legislative youth advisory council under section 1 of this act.
A certificated or classified school employee who has knowledge or reasonable cause to believe that a student has been a victim of physical or sexual abuse , sexual misconduct, or assault by another school employee, shall report such abuse , misconduct, or assault to the appropriate school administrator. The school administrator shall cause a report to be made to the proper law enforcement agency if he or she has reasonable cause to believe that the misconduct , abuse, or assault has occurred as required under RCW 26.44.030. During the process of making a reasonable cause determination, the school administrator shall contact all parties involved in the complaint.
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Certificated and classified school employees shall receive training regarding their reporting obligations under state law in their orientation training when hired and then every three years thereafter.
The training required under this subsection must promote trauma-informed and survivor-centered responses to sexual abuse, misconduct, and assault, and must include bystander intervention training of employee sexual abuse of students.
The training required under this subsection may be incorporated within existing training programs and related resources and may use the staff training materials described in section 2 of this act.
Nothing in this section changes any of the duties established under RCW 26.44.030.
By November 1, 2026, the office of the superintendent of public instruction, in collaboration with the Washington state school directors' association and local community experts in sexual assault and misconduct and child abuse prevention and response, shall develop, and periodically update, a student and family guide to the school district sexual harassment policy required by RCW 28A.640.020(2) and other laws, policies, and procedures related to sexual abuse, misconduct, and assault, and mandatory reporting of child abuse or neglect under RCW 26.44.030.
The student and family guide must:
Consider any recommendations developed by the legislative youth advisory council under section 1 of this act;
Be culturally informed; and
Be translated into the most common non-English languages spoken across the state in accordance with the model language access policy and procedures as required under chapter 28A.183 RCW.
School districts are encouraged to make the student and family guide available to students and families, especially those participating in the sexual harassment complaint process.
Section 3 of this act takes effect August 1, 2027.