Happy Friday! Lawmakers have worked their way through another busy week on the hill and with much to show for it. Tuesday, February 13, brought with it the cut-off for all bills to be passed out of their house of origin. That put all eyes on the “Rules Committees,” with legislators waiting to see if their bill would be one to make it onto the House or Senate floor, voted on, and passed on to the opposite house. There were several education bills that did get stuck in Rules and will not move forward this session, but it is worth noting that both houses worked quickly and did get an extraordinary amount of bills on the floor and out of committee.
With that cut-off behind them, committee leaders wasted no time scheduling public hearings for bills that came to them from the opposite house. Education committees in both the House and the Senate held meetings Wednesday and Thursday with packed agendas. The next cut-off comes next Wednesday, February 21, and is the last day for policy committees of the opposite house to pass bills out of committee.
Education Hearings Next Week on TVW.org:
House Education Committee
- Monday, February 19th @ 1:30pm
- Tuesday, February 20th @ 4pm
Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee
- Monday, February 19th @ 1:30pm
- Wednesday, February 21st @ 10:30am
Bills We’re Following
ESHB 1113: which requires the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) to adopt rules for reviewing and vacating reprimands related to behavior that did not involve a student issued to certificated professional educators. The bill is in the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Committee.
HB 1146: which requires public schools to notify high school students and their families about available dual credit programs and any available financial assistance (Senate hearing time: 22:30 and 30:58). Testifying in support: representatives from the WSPTA and Stand for Children. The bill is in the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Committee.
3SHB 1228: which relates to grant programs for establishing dual language education and tribal language education programs, as well as multilingual skill bonuses for certificated instructional staff and paraeducators. The bill is in the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Committee.
4SHB 1239: which would establish a simple, uniform, and easily accessible state-level process for the receipt and classification of complaints involving the elementary and secondary education system, and would require school districts to post the complaint process on their websites and make information available about the complaint process. The bill would also change the defense for use of force on children with respect to teachers and other school staff. The bill is in the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Committee.
ESHB 1277: which requires improving the consistency and quality of the implementation of the fundamental course of study for paraeducators (Senate hearing time: 2:40 and 35:29). Testifying in support: several concerned citizens, representatives from the WEA, PSE and PESB. Testifying as “other:” representatives from Lake Washington SD. The bill is in the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Committee.
4SHB 1479: which would limit restraint and isolation of students, including by prohibiting chemical and mechanical restraint, modifies requirements for incident notification, adds staff and governing body training requirements and establishes state compliance monitoring and support. The bill is in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Committee.
EsHB 1608: which requires the Secretary of Health to issue a statewide standing order prescribing epinephrine and epinephrine autoinjectors to any school district for use by designated trained school personnel. The bill also permits school districts to maintain a supply of epinephrine and epinephrine autoinjectors. The bill is in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Committee.
HB 1879: which would name the curriculum used to inform students about tribal history, culture, and government after John McCoy (lulilaš) (Senate hearing time: 6:37 and 50:28). Testifying in support: representatives from the SBE, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. The bill is in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Committee.
SHB 1915: which would require school districts by the 2025-26 school year to provide high school students with access to at least one-half credit of financial education instruction. This bill gained some press this week from The Seattle Times. The bill is in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Committee.
2SHB 1956: which directs the Secretary of Health to annually develop and distribute a statewide multimedia substance use prevention and awareness campaign that meets specified requirements and requires OSPI to distribute school and classroom substance use prevention and awareness materials. The bill is in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Committee.
SHB 2037: which would require, beginning with the 2027-28 school year, public schools to provide instruction on the Holocaust and other genocides and crimes against humanity when the topic aligns with the social studies learning standards. The bill is in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Committee.
HB 2110: which concerns reorganizing statutory requirements governing high school graduation (Senate hearing time: 28:38 and 48:50). The bill is in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Committee.
2SHB 2236: which directs OSPI to develop an Allied Health Professions Career and Technical Education Core Plus Program and provide available curriculum and instructional materials to districts and skill centers for optional use by the 2025-26 school year. The bill is in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Committee.
2SHB 2239: which would encourage school districts to provide instruction on skills that promote social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health and wellness. The bill is in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Committee.
ESHB 2331: which would bar school boards from refusing to approve, or prohibiting the use of, an educational material on the basis that it relates to the study of contributions of individuals or groups that are part of a protected class, and would establish new requirements for written complaints about instructional materials. The bill is in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Committee.
SSB 5804: which would require school districts to maintain at least one set of opioid reversal medication doses within each high school (hearing time: 9:01 and 38:50). Testifying in support: student representatives from Lake Washington HS and several concerned citizens. The bill is in the House Education Committee.
SSB 5849: which requires that all students show competency in high school learning standards related to computer science in order to graduate from high school, but specifies that the requirements do not increase the number of high school credits required for graduation, beginning with the 2029 graduating class. The bill also provides various options in which students may demonstrate competency in computer science learning standards (hearing time: 00:56 and 1:33:54). Testifying in support: representatives from The Sammamish HS Robotics Team. Testifying in opposition: several students from Lake Washington HS. Testifying as “other:” representatives from WSSDA, WSPTA and CSTA Puget Sound. The bill is in the House Education Committee.
SSB 5850: which would establish a grant program for community-based organizations to support students who are chronically absent, and would require each ESD to develop and offer staff training on early warning systems to identify and locate students who are chronically absent. The bill is in the House Education Committee.
SB 5852: would require that special education safety net awards only be adjusted for errors in applications or IEPs that materially affect the demonstration of need (House hearing time: 33:09). Testifying in support: representatives from PSE, Chehalis SD and WSSDA. The bill is in the House Education Committee.
2SSB 5882: which would phase in additional staffing allocations for paraprofessionals in instructional and non-instructional roles in an effort to improve the individualized support for student learning and behavioral needs. The bill is in the House Appropriations Committee.
SB 5883: provides that a school district has the burden of proof when it is a party to a special education due process hearing and creates an exception to this burden of proof requirement in circumstances when a parent seeks reimbursement for a unilateral parental placement (House hearing time: 1:10:44). Testifying in support: representatives from TeamChild and The Arc of WA State. Testifying as “other:” representatives from WSSDA, Mercer Island SD, School Alliance and Small School Districts of Lewis Co. The bill is in the House Education Committee.
ESSB 6264: which would require the State Board of Education (SBE) to develop and recommend a process to identify and designate schools and school districts that are implementing competency-based education (CBE) and identify costs associated with this process (House hearing time: 1:19 and 1:32:38). Testifying in support: representatives from Medical Lake SD and SBE. Testifying in opposition: a concerned citizen. Testifying as “other:” representatives from OSPI. The bill is in the House Education Committee.
Odds and Ends
Celebrate Black History Month with these books for kids about African Americans in the arts and entrepreneurship, handpicked by the Chicago Public Library staff.
Dig into the details of HB 1956, referred to as the “fentanyl education bill,” this week in The Seattle Times.
Meet CSTP’s Legislative Update Coordinator Samantha Miller
Samantha Miller returns as CSTP’s Legislative Updates Coordinator for the 2024 legislative session. She writes weekly emails during the legislative session focusing on bills that impact Washington educators.
Samantha has degrees in both Political Science and History, as well as a Master in Teaching. Samantha has worked in Elementary Education for 6 years, most recently as a 3rd Grade general education teacher. The majority of her time is spent chasing around her two children who keep her very busy. Samantha enjoys running, working in her yard, listening to political podcasts, and spending time with her family.