(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, each educational service district must establish a regional school safety center as provided in this section.

(2) The regional school safety centers working in collaboration with one another and the state school safety center, established in RCW 28A.300.630, form a statewide network for school safety. The purpose of this statewide network is to provide coordination of school safety efforts throughout the state and to provide school safety resources to the school districts in each educational service district region.

(3) Working in collaboration with the office of the superintendent of public instruction and the statewide network, each regional school safety center must provide to the school districts in its region:

(a) Behavioral health coordination that, at a minimum, includes:

(i) Providing support for school district development and implementation of plans for recognition, initial screening, and response to emotional or behavioral distress in students as required by RCW 28A.320.127;

(ii) Suicide prevention training for school counselors, school psychologists, and school social workers;

(iii) Facilitating partnerships and coordination between school districts, public schools, and existing regional and local systems of behavioral health care services and supports in order to increase student and family access to the services and supports;

(iv) Assisting school districts and public schools in building capacity to identify and support students in need of behavioral health care services and to link students and families with community-based behavioral health care services;

(v) Identifying, sharing, and integrating, to the extent practicable, behavioral and physical health care service delivery models;

(vi) Providing medicaid billing related training, technical assistance, and coordination between school districts; and

(vii) Guidance in implementing best practices in response to, and to recover from, the suicide or attempted suicide of a student;

(b) School-based threat assessment coordination that, at a minimum, includes:

(i) Providing training and technical assistance regarding the use of the model policy and procedure to establish a school-based threat assessment program, developed under RCW 28A.300.640;

(ii) Assisting with ongoing identification and implementation of best practices for school-based threat assessment programs, described under RCW 28A.320.123; and

(iii) Building partnerships with community partners, such as behavioral health providers, law enforcement agencies, emergency responders, juvenile justice organizations, and child welfare agencies, for the purpose of implementing school-based threat assessment programs that comply with best practices;

(c) Assistance with coordinating other entities in the region to provide support to school districts before emergencies occur;

(d) Plan, coordinate, and deliver the trainings required by this subsection (3), and other school district staff trainings related to school safety, in order to maximize quality professional learning;

(e) Technical assistance to school districts seeking funding for first aid, health, and safety and security resources;

(f) Information about systems and programs that allow anonymous reporting of student concerns;

(g) Real-time support and assistance for school districts in crisis, such as offering information, technical assistance associated with best practices, and staff trained in responding to school emergencies;

(h) Develop collaborative relationships with community organizations, private schools, businesses, and others interested in supporting safe schools; and

(i) Other services consistent with state and federal school safety requirements, including comprehensive safe school planning under RCW 28A.320.125.

(4) The regional school safety centers may, based on the needs of the school districts in their region, and in collaboration with emergency responders, provide assistance to, and facilitate communication between, emergency responders and schools or school districts impacted by emergency situations.

Findings—Intent—2019 c 333: See note following RCW 28A.300.630.

Intent—2019 c 333: See note following RCW 28A.320.124.