wa-law.org > bill > 2025-26 > SB 6285 > Original Bill

SB 6285 - School district mandates

Source

Section 1

The legislature recognizes that expanding expectations for school districts increases compliance and operational workloads for teachers, administrators, and staff throughout the state. School districts frequently must rely on local levy enrichment funding to meet the requirements of continually more burdensome laws. When mandates are implemented without additional state basic education funding, it places a burden on school districts to choose between compliance and flexibility to fund core instructional priorities.

The legislature intends to relieve burdensome mandated requirements on school districts. The legislature finds that schools are in the best position to determine their funding priorities within the framework provided by the law.

Section 2

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    1. By November 1, 2020, the department must establish by rule a state energy performance standard for covered buildings.

    2. In developing energy performance standards, the department shall seek to maximize reductions of greenhouse gas emissions from the building sector. The standard must include energy use intensity targets by building type and methods of conditional compliance that include an energy management plan, operations and maintenance program, energy efficiency audits, and investment in energy efficiency measures designed to meet the targets. The department shall use ANSI/ASHRAE/IES standard 100-2018 as an initial model for standard development. The department may adopt by rule subsequent versions of standard 100 as its model for standard development. The department must update the standard by July 1, 2029, and every five years thereafter. Prior to the adoption or update of the standard, the department must identify the sources of information it relied upon, including peer-reviewed science.

  2. In establishing the standard under subsection (1) of this section, the department:

    1. Must develop energy use intensity targets that are no greater than the average energy use intensity for the covered building occupancy type with adjustments for unique energy using features. The department must also develop energy use intensity targets for additional property types eligible for incentives in RCW 19.27A.220. The department may also develop targets for alternative metrics related to energy use and greenhouse gas emissions if alternative metrics are included in standard 100-2018 or subsequent versions. The department must consider regional and local building energy utilization data, such as existing energy star benchmarking data, in establishing targets for the standard. Energy use intensity targets or alternative metrics must be developed for two or more climate zones and be representative of energy use in a normal weather year;

    2. May consider building occupancy classifications from ANSI/ASHRAE/IES standard 100 and the United States environmental protection agency's energy star portfolio manager when developing energy use intensity targets;

    3. May implement lower energy use intensity targets or alternative metrics for more recently built covered buildings based on the state energy code in place when the buildings were constructed;

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      1. Must adopt a conditional compliance method that ensures that covered buildings that do not meet the specified energy use intensity targets or alternative metrics are taking action to achieve reduction in energy use, including investment criteria for conditional compliance that ensure that energy efficiency measures identified by energy audits are implemented to achieve a covered building's energy use intensity target or alternative metric. The investment criteria must require that a building owner adopt an implementation plan to meet the energy intensity target or alternative metric or implement an optimized bundle of energy efficiency measures that provides maximum energy savings without resulting in a savings-to-investment ratio of less than 1.0, except as exempted in (d)(ii) of this subsection. The implementation plan must be based on an investment grade energy audit and a life-cycle cost analysis that accounts for the period during which a bundle of measures will provide savings. The building owner's cost for implementing energy efficiency measures must reflect net cost, excluding any costs covered by utility or government grants. The implementation plan may exclude measures that do not pay for themselves over the useful life of the measure and measures excluded under (d)(ii) of this subsection. The implementation plan may include phased implementation such that the building owner is not required to replace a system or equipment before the end of the system or equipment's useful life;

      2. For those buildings or structures that are listed in the state or national register of historic places; designated as a historic property under local or state designation law or survey; certified as a contributing resource with a national register listed or locally designated historic district; or with an opinion or certification that the property is eligible to be listed on the national or state registers of historic places either individually or as a contributing building to a historic district by the state historic preservation officer or the keeper of the national register of historic places, no individual energy efficiency requirement need be met that would compromise the historical integrity of a building or part of a building;

    5. Must provide an alternative compliance pathway for an owner of a state campus district energy system, in accordance with RCW 19.27A.260, and more broadly for the owner of any campus district energy system that is approved by the department to opt-in in accordance with RCW 19.27A.260(6);

    6. Must guarantee that the owner of a state campus district energy system is not required to implement more than one energy management plan and more than one operations and maintenance plan for the campus;

    7. Must guarantee that a state campus district energy system, as defined in RCW 19.27A.260, and all buildings connected to a state campus district energy system, are in compliance with any requirements for campus buildings to implement energy efficiency measures identified by an energy audit if:

      1. The energy audit demonstrates the energy savings from the state campus district energy system energy efficiency measures will be greater than the energy efficiency measures identified for the campus buildings; and

      2. The state campus district energy system implements the energy efficiency measures; and

    8. May adopt additional compliance pathways for covered building owners to comply with the standard by meeting alternative metrics.

  3. Based on records obtained from each county assessor and other available information sources, the department must create a database of covered buildings and building owners required to comply with the standard established in accordance with this section.

  4. By July 1, 2021, the department must provide the owners of covered buildings with notification of compliance requirements.

  5. The department must develop a method for administering compliance reports from building owners.

  6. The department must provide a customer support program to building owners including, but not limited to, outreach and informational material, periodic training, phone and email support, and other technical assistance.

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    1. The building owner of a covered building must report the building owner's compliance with the standard to the department in accordance with the schedule established under subsection (8) of this section and every five years thereafter. For each reporting date, the building owner must submit documentation to demonstrate that:

      1. The weather normalized energy use intensity of the covered building measured in the previous calendar year is less than or equal to the energy use intensity target or equal to the alternative metric;

      2. The covered building has received conditional compliance from the department based on energy efficiency actions prescribed by the standard; or

      3. The covered building is exempt from the standard by demonstrating that the building meets one, or combination of multiple partial exemptions affecting more than 50 percent of building square footage as established by the department by rule, of the following criteria:

(A) The building did not have a certificate of occupancy or temporary certificate of occupancy for all 12 months of the calendar year prior to the building owner compliance schedule established under subsection (8) of this section;

(B) The building did not have an average physical occupancy of at least 50 percent throughout the calendar year prior to the building owner compliance schedule established under subsection (8) of this section;

(C) The sum of the building's gross floor area minus unconditioned and semiconditioned spaces, as defined in the Washington state energy code, is less than 50,000 square feet;

(D) The primary use of the building is manufacturing or other industrial purposes, as defined under the following use designations of the international building code: (I) Factory group F; or (II) high hazard group H, including spaces with nonexempt occupancy classifications that are within the manufacturing or industrial building, not to include tenant spaces that are not associated with the primary manufacturing or industrial use of the building;

(E) The building is an agricultural structure;

(F) The building is a K-12 school building and the building owner or building tenant is a public school as defined in RCW 28A.150.010, a private school subject to chapter 28A.195 RCW, or a school district. If state funding has been provided in an amount sufficient to improve a K-12 school building to meet the standard, this exemption does not apply.

(G) The building meets at least one of the following conditions of financial hardship: (I) The building had arrears of property taxes or water or wastewater charges that resulted in the building's inclusion, within the prior two years, on a city's or county's annual tax lien sale list; (II) the building has a court appointed receiver in control of the asset due to financial distress; (III) the building is owned by a financial institution through default by a borrower; (IV) the building has been acquired by a deed in lieu of foreclosure within the previous 24 months; (V) the building has a senior mortgage subject to a notice of default; (VI) the building is a public hospital in a public hospital district that lacks the debt capacity to cover the cost of compliance; or (VII) other conditions of financial hardship identified by the department by rule; or

(H) Extenuating conditions exist, as approved by the department prior to the reporting date including, but not limited to:

(I) Buildings for which meeting the standard would impair the historic integrity of the building including, but not limited to, properties listed in the national register of historic places, the Washington heritage register, or local registers of historic places;

(II) Buildings for which meeting the standard would impair national security interests;

(III) Buildings that have had significant losses in assessed value since the COVID-19 pandemic which prevent building owners from securing capital in the form of loans against equity in the covered building; or

(IV) Other extenuating circumstances identified by the department by rule that may still require benchmarking, operations and maintenance programs, and energy management plan reporting.

b. The covered building owner may apply to the department for an extension to its compliance date. Requests for extension must be received by the department no sooner than six months prior to and up to six months after the applicable compliance date in order to be processed by the department. The department may approve extension requests for conditions including, but not limited to, conditions beyond the control of the building owner. An extension granted pursuant to this subsection is valid for two years beyond the covered building's compliance date after which the covered building owner may apply to the department for an extension renewal or file for an exemption.
  1. A building owner of a tier 1 covered building must meet the following reporting schedule for complying with the standard established under this section:

    1. For a building with more than 220,000 gross square feet, June 1, 2026;

    2. For a building with more than 90,000 gross square feet but less than 220,001 gross square feet, June 1, 2027; and

    3. For a building with more than 50,000 gross square feet but less than 90,001 square feet, June 1, 2028.

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    1. The department may issue a notice of violation to a building owner for noncompliance with the requirements of this section. A determination of noncompliance may be made for any of the following reasons:

      1. Failure to submit a compliance report in the form and manner prescribed by the department;

      2. Failure to meet an energy use intensity target or alternative metric, or failure to receive conditional compliance approval;

      3. Failure to provide accurate reporting consistent with the requirements of the standard established under this section; and

      4. Failure to provide a valid exemption certificate.

    2. In order to create consistency with the implementation of the standard and rules adopted under this section, the department must reply and cite the section of law, code, or standard in a notice of violation for noncompliance with the requirements of this section when requested to do so by the building owner or the building owner's agent.

  3. The department is authorized to impose an administrative penalty upon a building owner for failing to submit documentation demonstrating compliance with the requirements of this section. The penalty may not exceed an amount equal to $5,000 plus an amount based on the duration of any continuing violation. The additional amount for a continuing violation may not exceed a daily amount equal to $1 per year per gross square foot of floor area. The department may by rule increase the maximum penalty rates to adjust for the effects of inflation. Penalties incurred from noncompliance may not be passed along to tenants, so long as tenants are providing access to utility usage data, physical spaces in the buildings, and being responsive to needs from building owners to facilitate compliance with the standard.

  4. Administrative penalties collected under this section must be deposited into the low-income weatherization and structural rehabilitation assistance account created in RCW 70A.35.030.

  5. The department must adopt rules as necessary to implement this section, including but not limited to:

    1. Rules necessary to ensure timely, accurate, and complete reporting of building energy performance for all covered buildings;

    2. Rules necessary to enforce the standard established under this section; and

    3. Rules that provide a mechanism for appeal of any administrative penalty imposed by the department under this section.

  6. Upon request by the department, each county assessor must provide property data from existing records to the department as necessary to implement this section.

  7. By January 15, 2022, and each year thereafter through 2029, the department must submit a report to the governor and the appropriate committees of the legislature on the implementation of the state energy performance standard established under this section. The report must include information regarding the adoption of the ANSI/ASHRAE/IES standard 100-2018 as an initial model, the financial impact to building owners required to comply with the standard, the amount of incentives provided under RCW 19.27A.220 and 19.27A.230, and any other significant information associated with the implementation of this section.

Section 3

  1. School districts, charter schools, state-tribal education compact schools, and private schools are encouraged to make menstrual hygiene products available at no cost in all gender-neutral bathrooms and bathrooms designated for female students located in schools that serve students in any of grades six through twelve. If a school building serving grades six through twelve does not have a gender-neutral bathroom, then the products may also be available in at least one bathroom accessible to male students or in a school health room accessible to all students. For schools that serve students in grades three through five, school districts and private schools may make menstrual hygiene products available in a school health room or other location as designated by the school principal.

  2. Menstrual hygiene products may include sanitary napkins, tampons, or similar items.

  3. If school districts, charter schools, state-tribal education compact schools, or private schools offer menstrual hygiene products, these schools must bear the cost of supplying menstrual hygiene products. School districts and private schools may seek grants or partner with nonprofit or community-based organizations to fulfill this obligation.

Section 4

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      1. Every public school choosing to provide comprehensive sexual health education must meet the requirements in this section. The curriculum, instruction, and materials used to provide comprehensive sexual health education must be medically and scientifically accurate, age-appropriate, and inclusive of all students, regardless of their protected class status under chapter 49.60 RCW, and must include information about abstinence and other methods of preventing unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Abstinence may not be taught to the exclusion of other materials and instruction on contraceptives and disease prevention.

      ii.Any public school that provides comprehensive sexual health education must ensure that the curriculum, instruction, and materials include information about affirmative consent and bystander training.

    2. A public school may choose to use separate, outside speakers or prepared curriculum to teach different content areas or units within its comprehensive sexual health education program if all speakers, curriculum, and materials used are in compliance with this section.

    3. Comprehensive sexual health education must be consistent with the Washington state health and physical education K-12 learning standards and the January 2005 guidelines for sexual health information and disease prevention developed by the department of health and the office of the superintendent of public instruction.

2.

The office of the superintendent of public instruction and the department of health shall make the Washington state health and physical education K-12 learning standards and the January 2005 guidelines for sexual health information and disease prevention available to public schools, teachers, and guest speakers on their websites. Within available resources, the office of the superintendent of public instruction and the department of health shall also, and to the extent permitted by applicable federal law, make any related information, model policies, curricula, or other resources available on their websites.

  1. The office of the superintendent of public instruction, in consultation with the department of health, shall develop a list of comprehensive sexual health education curricula that are consistent with the 2005 guidelines for sexual health information and disease prevention, the Washington state health and physical education K-12 learning standards, and this section. This list, which may serve as a resource for schools, teachers, or any other organization or community group, must be updated at least annually, and must be made available on the websites of the office of the superintendent of public instruction and the department of health.

  2. Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall periodically review and revise, as necessary, training materials, which may be in an electronic format, for classroom teachers and principals to implement the applicable requirements of this section.

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    1. Public schools are encouraged to review their comprehensive sexual health education curricula and choose a curriculum from the list developed under subsection (3) of this section. Any public school may identify, choose, or develop any other curriculum if it complies with the requirements of this section.

    2. If a public school chooses a curriculum that is not from the list developed under subsection (3) of this section, the public school or applicable school district, in consultation with the office of the superintendent of public instruction, must conduct a review of the selected or developed curriculum to ensure compliance with the requirements of this section using a comprehensive sexual health education curriculum analysis tool of the office of the superintendent of public instruction.

    3. The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall provide technical assistance to public schools and school districts that is consistent with the curricula review, selection, and development provisions in (a) and (b) of this subsection (5).

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    1. Any parent or legal guardian who wishes to have his or her child excused from any planned instruction in comprehensive sexual health education may do so upon filing a written request with the school district board of directors or its designee, or the principal of the school his or her child attends, or the principal's designee. The person or entity to whom the request is directed must grant the written request to have the student excused from this instruction in accordance with this subsection. In addition, any parent or legal guardian may review the comprehensive sexual health education curriculum provided in his or her child's school by filing a written request with the school district board of directors, the principal of the school his or her child attends, or the principal's designee.

    2. At the beginning of each school year, each school providing comprehensive sexual health education must notify parents and guardians, in writing or in accordance with the methods the school finds most effective in communicating with parents, that the school will be providing comprehensive sexual health education during the school year. The notice must include, or provide a means for electronic access to, all course materials, by grade, that will be used at the school during the instruction.

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    1. Public schools shall annually, by September 1st, identify to the office of the superintendent of public instruction any curricula used by the school to provide comprehensive sexual health education as required by this section. Materials provided by schools under this subsection (7)(a) must also describe how the provided classroom instruction aligns with the requirements of this section.

    2. The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall summarize and, in accordance with RCW 43.01.036, report the results provided under (a) of this subsection (7) to the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate biennially, beginning after the 2022-23 school year.

  6. RCW 28A.600.480(2), which encourages school employees, students, and volunteers to report harassment, intimidation, or bullying, applies to this section.

  7. Nothing in this section expresses legislative intent to require that comprehensive sexual health education, or components of comprehensive sexual health education, be integrated into curriculum, materials, or instruction in unrelated subject matters or courses.

  8. For the purposes of this section:

    1. "Affirmative consent" means a conscious and voluntary agreement to engage in sexual activity as a requirement before sexual activity;

    2. "Comprehensive sexual health education" means recurring instruction in human development and reproduction that is age-appropriate and inclusive of all students, regardless of their protected class status under chapter 49.60 RCW. All curriculum, instruction, and materials used in providing comprehensive sexual health education must be medically and scientifically accurate and must use language and strategies that recognize all members of protected classes under chapter 49.60 RCW. Comprehensive sexual health education for students in kindergarten through grade three must be instruction in social-emotional learning that is consistent with learning standards and benchmarks adopted by the office of the superintendent of public instruction under RCW 28A.300.478. Comprehensive sexual health education for students in grades four through twelve must include information about:

      1. The physiological, psychological, and sociological developmental processes experienced by an individual;

      2. The development of intrapersonal and interpersonal skills to communicate, respectfully and effectively, to reduce health risks, and choose healthy behaviors and relationships that are based on mutual respect and affection, and are free from violence, coercion, and intimidation;

      3. Health care and prevention resources;

      4. The development of meaningful relationships and avoidance of exploitative relationships;

    3. Understanding the influences of family, peers, community, and the media throughout life on healthy sexual relationships; and

    1. Affirmative consent and recognizing and responding safely and effectively when violence, or a risk of violence, is or may be present with strategies that include bystander training;

    2. "Medically and scientifically accurate" means information that is verified or supported by research in compliance with scientific methods, is published in peer-reviewed journals, where appropriate, and is recognized as accurate and objective by professional organizations and agencies with expertise in the field of sexual health including but not limited to the American college of obstetricians and gynecologists, the Washington state department of health, and the federal centers for disease control and prevention; and

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

Section 5

  1. At a minimum, a school-based threat assessment program must:

    1. Provide for timely and methodical school-based threat assessment and management;

    2. Be prompted by the behavior of a student rather than some combination of a student's demographic and personal characteristics;

    3. Convene a multidisciplinary, multiagency team, including special education teachers and practicing educational staff associates, to:

      1. Identify and assess the behavior of a student that is threatening, or potentially threatening, to self, other students, staff, school visitors, or school property;

      2. Gather and analyze information about the student's behavior to determine a level of concern for the threat that focuses on situational variables, rather than the student's demographic or personal characteristics;

      3. Depending on the determined level of concern, develop and implement intervention strategies to manage the student's behavior in ways that promote a safe, supportive teaching and learning environment, without excluding the student from the school; and

      4. In the case of the threatening, or potentially threatening, behavior of a student with disabilities, align intervention strategies with the student's individualized education program or plan developed under section 504 of the rehabilitation act of 1973 by coordinating with the student's individualized education program or section 504 plan team;

    4. Create guidelines for each threat assessment team to collect, report, and review quantitative data on its activities; and

    5. Prohibit suspension or expulsion based merely on threat assessment referral or performance.

  2. Each school district is encouraged to adopt a policy and procedure to establish a school-based threat assessment program that meets the requirements of subsection (1) of this section. The school district policy and procedure may be consistent with the model policy and procedure developed under RCW 28A.300.640, and with other school district policies, procedures, and plans addressing safe and supportive learning environments.

  3. The definitions in this subsection apply throughout this section unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

    1. "School-based threat assessment" means the formal process, established by a school district, of evaluating the threatening, or potentially threatening, behavior of a student, and the circumstances surrounding the threat, to uncover any facts or evidence that the threat is likely to be carried out.

    2. "School-based threat management" means the development and implementation of a plan to manage or reduce the threatening, or potentially threatening, behavior of a student in a way that increases the physical and psychological safety of students, staff, and visitors, while providing for the education of all students.

Section 6

  1. School districts that have safety and security staff working on school property when students are expected to be present are encouraged to adopt, and periodically update, a policy and procedure that:

    1. Includes a clear statement regarding safety and security staff duties and responsibilities related to student behavior and discipline that:

      1. Prohibits a school resource officer from becoming involved in formal school discipline situations that are the responsibility of school administrators; and

      2. Recognizes that trained safety and security staff know when to informally interact with students to reinforce school rules and when to enforce the law;

    2. Clarifies the circumstances under which teachers and school administrators may ask safety and security staff to intervene with a student;

    3. Explains how safety and security staff will be engaged in creating a positive school climate and positive relationships with students; and

    4. Describes the process for families to file complaints with the school and, when applicable, the local law enforcement agency or the company that provides the safety and security staff on contract related to safety and security staff and a process for investigating and responding to complaints.

  2. At the beginning of each school year, school districts that have safety and security staff working on school property are encouraged to present to and discuss with students, and distribute to students' families, information about the role and responsibilities of safety and security staff.

  3. The definitions in this subsection apply throughout this section unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

    1. "Safety and security staff" means a school resource officer, a school security officer, a campus security officer, and any other commissioned or noncommissioned employee or contractor, whose primary job duty is to provide safety or security services for a public school, as defined in RCW 28A.150.010.

    2. "School resource officer" means a commissioned law enforcement officer in the state of Washington with sworn authority to make arrests, deployed in community-oriented policing, and assigned by the employing police department or sheriff's office to work in schools to build positive relationships with students and address crime and disorder problems, gangs, and drug activities affecting or occurring in or around K-12 schools. School resource officers should focus on keeping students out of the criminal justice system when possible and should not be used to attempt to impose criminal sanctions in matters that are more appropriately handled within the educational system.

Section 7

  1. The legislature considers it to be a matter of public safety for public schools and staff to have current safe school plans and procedures in place, fully consistent with federal law. The legislature further finds and intends, by requiring safe school plans to be in place, that school districts will become eligible for federal assistance. The legislature further finds that schools are in a position to serve the community in the event of an emergency resulting from natural disasters or human-induced disasters.

  2. Schools and school districts shall consider the guidance and resources provided by the state school safety center, established under RCW 28A.300.630, and the regional school safety centers, established under RCW 28A.310.510, when developing their own individual comprehensive safe school plans. Each school district shall adopt and implement a safe school plan. The plan shall:

    1. Include required school safety policies and procedures;

    2. Address emergency mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery;

    3. Include provisions for assisting and communicating with students and staff, including those with special needs or disabilities;

    4. Include a family-student reunification plan, including procedures for communicating the reunification plan to staff, students, families, and emergency responders;

    5. Use the training guidance provided by the Washington emergency management division of the state military department in collaboration with the state school safety center in the office of the superintendent of public instruction, established under RCW 28A.300.630, and the school safety and student well-being advisory committee, established under RCW 28A.300.635;

    6. Require the building principal to be certified on the incident command system;

    7. Take into account the manner in which the school facilities may be used as a community asset in the event of a community-wide emergency;

    8. Set guidelines for requesting city or county law enforcement agencies, local fire departments, emergency service providers, and county emergency management agencies to meet with school districts and participate in safety-related drills; and

      1. Include how substitute teachers and other temporary employees receive necessary information about safe school plans, including school safety policies and procedures and the three basic functional drill responses described in subsection (5) of this section.
  3. To the extent funds are available, school districts shall annually:

    1. Review and update safe school plans in collaboration with local emergency response agencies;

    2. Conduct an inventory of all hazardous materials;

    3. Update information to reflect current plans, including:

      1. Identifying all staff members who are trained on the national incident management system, trained on the incident command system, or are certified on the incident command system; and

      2. Identifying school transportation procedures for evacuation, to include bus staging areas, evacuation routes, communication systems, parent-student reunification sites, and secondary transportation agreements; and

    4. Provide information to all staff on the use of emergency supplies and notification and alert procedures.

  4. School districts are encouraged to work with local emergency management agencies and other emergency responders to conduct one tabletop exercise, one functional exercise, and two full-scale exercises within a four-year period.

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    1. Due to geographic location, schools have unique safety challenges. It is the responsibility of school principals and administrators to assess the threats and hazards most likely to impact their school, and to practice three basic functional drills, shelter-in-place, lockdown, and evacuation, as these drills relate to those threats and hazards. Some threats or hazards may require the use of more than one basic functional drill.

    2. Schools are encouraged to conduct at least one safety-related drill per month, including summer months when school is in session with students but must conduct at least three safety-related drills per school year. These drills must teach students three basic functional drill responses:

      1. "Shelter-in-place," used to limit the exposure of students and staff to hazardous materials, such as chemical, biological, or radiological contaminants, released into the environment by isolating the inside environment from the outside;

      2. "Lockdown," used to isolate students and staff from threats of violence, such as suspicious trespassers or armed intruders, that may occur in a school or in the vicinity of a school. Lockdown drills may not include live simulations of or reenactments of active shooter scenarios that are not trauma-informed and age and developmentally appropriate; and

      3. "Evacuation," used to move students and staff away from threats, such as fires, oil train spills, lahars, or tsunamis.

    3. The drills described in (b) of this subsection must incorporate the following requirements:

      1. A pedestrian evacuation drill for schools in mapped lahars or tsunami hazard zones; and

      2. An earthquake drill using the state-approved earthquake safety technique "drop, cover, and hold."

    4. Schools shall document the date, time, and type (shelter-in-place, lockdown, or evacuate) of each drill required under this subsection (5), and maintain the documentation in the school office.

    5. This subsection (5) is intended to satisfy all federal requirements for comprehensive school emergency drills and evacuations.

  6. Educational service districts are encouraged to apply for federal emergency response and crisis management grants with the assistance of the superintendent of public instruction and the Washington emergency management division of the state military department.

  7. The superintendent of public instruction may adopt rules to implement provisions of this section. These rules may include, but are not limited to, provisions for evacuations, lockdowns, or other components of a comprehensive safe school plan.

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    1. Whenever a first responder agency notifies a school of a situation that may necessitate an evacuation or lockdown, the agency must determine if other known schools in the vicinity are similarly threatened. The first responder agency must notify every other known school in the vicinity for which an evacuation or lockdown appears reasonably necessary to the agency's incident commander unless the agency is unable to notify schools due to duties directly tied to responding to the incident occurring. For purposes of this subsection, "school" includes a private school under chapter 28A.195 RCW.

    2. A first responder agency and its officers, agents, and employees are not liable for any act, or failure to act, under this subsection unless a first responder agency and its officers, agents, and employees acted with willful disregard.

Section 8

If any part of this act is found to be in conflict with federal requirements that are a prescribed condition to the allocation of federal funds to the state, the conflicting part of this act is inoperative solely to the extent of the conflict and with respect to the agencies directly affected, and this finding does not affect the operation of the remainder of this act in its application to the agencies concerned. Rules adopted under this act must meet federal requirements that are a necessary condition to the receipt of federal funds by the state.


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