This bill amends RCW 28A.400.317 and adds new sections to chapter 28A.300 RCW and chapter 28A.640 RCW. It requires the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to post and periodically update staff training materials on trauma‑informed, survivor‑centered responses to disclosures of sexual abuse, misconduct, and assault, and to develop a student and family guide to school district sexual harassment policies in collaboration with the Washington State School Directors' Association (WSSDA) and local community experts. OSPI must post and begin updating the staff materials and the student and family guide by November 1, 2026; Section 2 of the act takes effect August 1, 2027. The bill changes reporting and training procedures for schools. Certificated and classified school employees who know or have reasonable cause to believe a student was a victim of physical or sexual abuse, sexual misconduct, or assault by another school employee must report to the appropriate school administrator. The school administrator must report to the proper law enforcement agency when the administrator has reasonable cause to believe the misconduct occurred as required under RCW 26.44.030, and must contact all parties involved during the reasonable cause determination process. Employees must receive training on these reporting obligations at orientation and every three years thereafter; training must promote trauma‑informed, survivor‑centered responses and include bystander intervention training related to employee sexual abuse of students, and may be incorporated into existing programs using OSPI materials. The student and family guide must be culturally informed and translated into the most common non‑English languages spoken across the state in accordance with chapter 28A.183 RCW, and school districts are encouraged to make the guide available to students and families, especially those participating in the sexual harassment complaint process. Affected entities include OSPI, WSSDA, local community experts, school districts, certificated and classified employees, school administrators, students and families, and law enforcement referenced in RCW 26.44.030. The extracted text does not specify effective dates for the new sections added to chapters 28A.300 and 28A.640, does not provide statutory definitions for key terms used, and does not include the full text of the referenced statutes.

If enacted, the state education office and school leaders will need to create and keep up-to-date trauma-informed, survivor-centered training and a student/family guide by November 1, 2026, and make sure all certificated and classified employees are trained on reporting obligations at hire and every three years after; school employees must report suspected abuse by another school employee to their administrator, and administrators must contact law enforcement when they have reasonable cause and notify involved parties during the determination. Schools will also be encouraged to share the guide, translated into the most common non‑English languages, and training must include bystander intervention and may use the OSPI materials. This will most affect OSPI, WSSDA and local community experts (who will develop materials), school districts and administrators (who will implement reporting, notifications, and staff training), and certificated and classified staff (who must attend training). Expect added staff time, coordination, and translation costs to develop and deliver materials and trainings, and increased administrative responsibility and legal risk for districts and administrators if reporting or notifications are not handled as required. The bill text does not specify effective dates for the new sections beyond one section becoming effective August 1, 2027, nor does it define key terms or the detailed procedures referenced in other statutes, so some implementation details remain unclear.