This bill creates new law by adding sections to chapters 28A.300 and 28A.310 RCW to establish a statewide network and regional programs for school-based student mental and behavioral health. It directs the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), subject to appropriations, to set strategic direction and provide state-level coordination with local education agencies, the Washington association of educational service districts (WA ESDs), and other state agencies to strengthen capacity to meet recognition, screening, and response requirements in RCW 28A.320.127 and to connect students to behavioral health supports in school and community settings. The bill creates a regional school-based mental and behavioral health student assistance program, coordinated by WA ESDs, to deploy prevention, screening, referral, care coordination, evidence-based interventions, classroom education, community engagement, and where available, treatment services; it allows ESDs licensed as behavioral health agencies to pilot telehealth integration and provide in-person treatment. It also requires OSPI, subject to appropriations, to establish a grant program to help districts develop and implement plans for recognition, screening, and response under RCW 28A.320.127, and requires the regional coordinating body to submit an annual report to OSPI summarizing services, fee schedules, barriers, and recommendations. These are procedural and programmatic changes (new programs, coordination duties, grant authority, reporting and evaluation requirements), not changes to criminal penalties. Many duties and programs are conditioned on the availability of appropriations. The bill references other statutes and protocols (for example RCW 28A.320.127, the Washington integrated student supports protocol, chapter 129, Laws of 2021, and a 2022 strategic plan advisory group) but those documents and specific operational details—such as appropriation amounts, timelines, eligibility criteria, data elements, and performance metrics—are not included in the provided text.

If enacted, the bill creates a statewide network to expand and coordinate school-based mental and behavioral health supports, putting OSPI in charge of setting strategy and aligning state and regional efforts while educational service districts (ESDs) run regional programs that provide screenings, referrals, prevention and treatment services, and workforce development. School districts could receive grants to develop required screening and response plans and be paired with regional supports, but the new services and coordination are largely dependent on future appropriations, so actual rollout will depend on available state funding. The groups most affected are OSPI (new coordination and grant duties), ESDs and the Washington association of educational service districts (new program delivery, evaluation, and reporting responsibilities), local school districts (opportunities for grant funding and access to regional services), and students and families (likely greater access to screening and school-linked behavioral health supports). Costs and staffing needs may shift to ESDs and districts as they implement services, pilots, and training pipelines, and there is uncertainty because the bill does not include funding amounts, timelines, or detailed operational standards.