Z-0251.1
HOUSE BILL 1547
State of Washington
69th Legislature
2025 Regular Session
By Representatives Santos, Berry, Davis, Callan, Paul, Ortiz-Self, Kloba, Shavers, Zahn, Ormsby, Pollet, Scott, Doglio, Hill, and Simmons; by request of Superintendent of Public Instruction
Read first time 01/23/25. Referred to Committee on Education.
AN ACT Relating to establishing a statewide network for student mental and behavioral health to maintain, expand, and provide oversight to Washington's school-based mental and behavioral health system for children and adolescents across the state; adding new sections to chapter 28A.300 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28A.310 RCW; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature recognizes that many children and students struggle with mental health, substance use, and behavioral health challenges that impact their ability to engage in learning and develop pathways to wellness and success. The mental and behavioral health crisis for children and youth in the United States has reached a critical point. The legislature also recognizes that behavioral health and wellness supports for K-12 students in Washington are fragmented, with roles and responsibilities assigned across several local and state agencies. The department of health, the Washington state health care authority, and the office of the superintendent of public instruction all play significant but distinct roles, as do regional educational service districts, local school districts, and community partners. Nonetheless, schools are often community hubs making them a natural setting for prevention, early intervention, and service delivery related to mental and behavioral health so that students can fully access their right to a basic education.
The legislature also recognizes the investments made to support student behavioral health and well-being and that despite those investments, school districts lack the dedicated funding and coordinated supports necessary to deploy comprehensive supports and direct services across the behavioral health continuum for their students.