The bill focuses on improving youth mental health and well-being in Washington schools by increasing the availability and roles of school social workers. It addresses the rising rates of school refusal and mental health issues among students by proposing a higher ratio of school social workers to students, in line with national recommendations. Key amendments redefine the responsibilities of school social workers to include mental health services, crisis intervention, and advocacy, while removing outdated language regarding their roles. The bill also facilitates collaboration between educational service districts, local mental health agencies, and universities to support in-school placements for social work candidates and outlines the responsibilities of these districts in recruiting educators for the newly defined roles.

Additionally, the legislation mandates specific allocations for social workers in qualifying schools, ensuring a minimum of 0.060 units for elementary, middle, and high schools. It requires that funding for support staff, including nurses and counselors, be proportionate to their ratios to students, with the superintendent responsible for adopting rules to prioritize funding for staff with valid educational certificates. The bill also establishes minimum staffing allocations based on student enrollment, adjusts funding for materials and operating costs annually for inflation, and emphasizes data collection on the utilization of increased allocations to enhance educational outcomes, particularly in schools with high poverty rates.

Statutes affected:
Original Bill: 28A.410.044, 28A.320.280, 28A.310.235