Advocacy In Action

During this last Legislative session in Olympia, WSPTA helped to get 15 bills passed all supporting our WSPTA priorities. To learn more about them you can view the 2021 Legislative Session Report.

There are five highlighted here:

The first is ESSB 5092. There were a lot of COVID recovery items that were pulled into this bill but one I would like to showcase is that the WSPTA was able to negotiate that funding is provided for any school district that receives less in allocations under the STARs formula in the 2020- 21 school year up to an amount equal to the sum of the school district transportation allocations in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years, divided by 2. This is critical since the count of the transportation riders (how the state works out funding for the next year) was zero during the count period. Not making a change to this rule would have meant a severe loss of funds from the state.

The second is E2SHB 1139. This bill requires districts to work with the DOH to do lead testing in the drinking water for all plumbing before 2016. It also directs these school districts and schools to communicate certain information, take mitigation measures, and adopt an action plan if test results reveal lead concentrations that exceed stated thresholds.

The third is EHB 1342. This eliminates lunch copays for students who qualify for reduced-price lunches. (Chapter 74, 2021 Laws) and eliminates lunch copays for K-12 students who qualify for reduced-price lunches under the National School Lunch Program.

The fourth is E2SHB 1477. This will Implement the national 988 system to enhance and expand behavioral health crisis response and suicide prevention services. (Chapter 302, 2021 Laws) It directs the Department of Health to designate crisis hotline centers that meet standards related to technology and the ability to identify and deploy community crisis resources for persons experiencing a behavioral health crisis; establishes the Crisis Response Improvement Strategy Committee to develop a comprehensive assessment of the behavioral health crisis services system and a recommended vision for an integrated crisis network throughout Washington and requires that health plans and medical assistance programs provide coverage for next day appointments for enrollees experiencing urgent, symptomatic behavioral health conditions, beginning in 2023.

In connection with this, SSB 5030 develops comprehensive school counseling programs. (Chapter 174, 2021 Laws). Each school district must develop and implement a written plan for a comprehensive school counseling program by the beginning of the 2022-23 school year. The school counseling program must be based on regularly updated standards developed by a national organization representing school counselors. Under the plan, 80 percent of a school counselor’s time must be spent directly or indirectly with students. OSPI will help develop a plan and process for applicability to small school district.

Lastly, ESBH 1273. This requires school districts, private K-12 schools, charter schools, state-tribal compact schools, and public and private institutions of higher education to make menstrual hygiene products available at no cost by the beginning of the 2022-23 academic year. It also requires these entities to bear the cost of supplying these products.