Happy Friday! It has been a flurry of bills, hearings, and committee action in Olympia this week. The short session requires focus and quick action. Lawmakers only have two weeks to pass bills out of their respective houses of origin before they face their first cut-off on January 31st.
This week we saw a focus on fentanyl-prevention bills in both the house and the senate. The senate’s Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee held a public hearing on SB 5804, which requires school districts to obtain and maintain at least one set of opioid overdose reversal medication (Narcan) in each high school. This public hearing drew testimony of over 10 High School seniors from Lake Washington High School, imploring lawmakers to take swift action on the legislation. According to reports in the Spokesman-Review, in 2022, more than 2,000 people died of opioid-involved overdoses in Washington. Those teen testifiers should be relieved to hear that the Senate Ed committee amended (to include elementary and middle schools) and passed this bill out of committee on Wednesday afternoon.
Next week’s pace will be just as busy, if not more so, as lawmakers cruise closer towards impending deadlines. New bills will continue to trickle in, but expect the number to become less and less each day.
Education Hearings Scheduled for Next Week on TVW.org
House Education Committee
- Monday, January 22nd @ 1:30pm
- Tuesday, January 23rd @ 4pm
- Thursday, January 25th @ 8am
Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee
- Monday, January 22nd @ 1:30pm
- Wednesday, January 24th @10:30am
- Thursday, January 25th @ 1:30pm
Important Legislative Links
Legislative Website: Get information on bills, legislators, hearings and more.
Bill Tracker: Track specific bills, read bill reports.
TVW: Watch live and archived legislative proceedings.
Note about legislative updates:
CSTP relays these legislative updates to provide information on bills, budgets and legislative processes. CSTP doesn’t have a legislative agenda, but does track legislative issues most relevant to teaching.
New Bills This Week
HB 2331: which would modify requirements for public school instructional and supplemental instructional materials. Scheduled for public hearing on January 23rd at 4pm.
HB 2398: which would require parent representation on instructional materials committees. Scheduled for public hearing on January 23rd at 4pm.
SB 6205: which would mandate instruction on the meaning and history of the pledge of allegiance in public schools. Scheduled for public hearing on January 25th @ 10:30am.
SB 6208: which would modify requirements for public school instructional and supplemental instructional materials. Scheduled for public hearing on January 24th @ 1:30pm.
SB 6216: establishing a statewide network for student mental and behavioral health. Scheduled for public hearing on January 24th @ 10:30am.
SB 6236: which would require the filing of a declaration of intent to provide home-based instruction. Scheduled for public hearing on January 24th @ 10:30am.
SB 6264: which would support the implementation of competency-based education. Scheduled for public hearing on January 24th @ 1:30pm.
SB 6274: which would establish a grant program to fund school resource officers on public school campuses.
Bills We’re Following
HB 2331: which would modify requirements for public school instructional and supplemental instructional materials. Scheduled for public hearing on January 23rd at 4pm.
HB 2398: which would require parent representation on instructional materials committees. Scheduled for public hearing on January 23rd at 4pm.
SB 6205: which would mandate instruction on the meaning and history of the pledge of allegiance in public schools. Scheduled for public hearing on January 25th @ 10:30am.
SB 6208: which would modify requirements for public school instructional and supplemental instructional materials. Scheduled for public hearing on January 24th @ 1:30pm.
SB 6216: establishing a statewide network for student mental and behavioral health. Scheduled for public hearing on January 24th @ 10:30am.
SB 6236: which would require the filing of a declaration of intent to provide home-based instruction. Scheduled for public hearing on January 24th @ 10:30am.
SB 6264: which would support the implementation of competency-based education. Scheduled for public hearing on January 24th @ 1:30pm.
SB 6274: which would establish a grant program to fund school resource officers on public school campuses.
Odds and Ends
As enrollment continues to wane in many districts around the Puget Sound Area, districts are faced with the hard decision of closing schools. This week from The Seattle Times, WA Districts Facing Steep Enrollment Declines Consider Closing Schools.
“A study published by the Cambridge University Press in 2023 found that not only did the pandemic increase social isolation, but the social isolation that children ages 6-17 experienced dramatically increased their rate of diagnosed anxiety.” From KQED’s MindShift, When Adults Learn About Trauma Informed Practices, Students Can Recover.