(1) To facilitate access to information and materials on educational improvement and research, the superintendent of public instruction, subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, shall establish the center for the improvement of student learning. The center shall work in conjunction with parents, educational service districts, institutions of higher education, and education, parent, community, and business organizations.

(2) The center, subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, and in conjunction with other staff in the office of the superintendent of public instruction, shall:

• (a) Serve as a clearinghouse for information regarding successful educational improvement and parental involvement programs in schools and districts, and information about efforts within institutions of higher education in the state to support educational improvement initiatives in Washington schools and districts;
• (b) Provide best practices research that can be used to help schools develop and implement: Programs and practices to improve instruction; systems to analyze student assessment data, with an emphasis on systems that will combine the use of state and local data to monitor the academic progress of each and every student in the school district; comprehensive, school-wide improvement plans; school-based shared decision-making models; programs to promote lifelong learning and community involvement in education; school-to-work transition programs; programs to meet the needs of highly capable students; programs and practices to meet the needs of students with disabilities; programs and practices to meet the diverse needs of students based on gender, racial, ethnic, economic, and special needs status; research, information, and technology systems; and other programs and practices that will assist educators in helping students learn the essential academic learning requirements;
• (c) Develop and maintain an internet web site to increase the availability of information, research, and other materials;
• (d) Work with appropriate organizations to inform teachers, district and school administrators, and school directors about the waivers available and the broadened school board powers under RCW 28A.320.015;
• (e) Provide training and consultation services, including conducting regional summer institutes;
• (f) Identify strategies for improving the success rates of ethnic and racial student groups and students with disabilities, with disproportionate academic achievement;
• (g) Work with parents, teachers, and school districts in establishing a model absentee notification procedure that will properly notify parents when their student has not attended a class or has missed a school day. The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall consider various types of communication with parents including, but not limited to, email, phone, and postal mail; and
• (h) Perform other functions consistent with the purpose of the center as prescribed in subsection (1) of this section.

(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the Washington integrated student supports protocol is established. The protocol shall be developed by the center for the improvement of student learning, established in RCW 28A.300.130, based on the framework described in this section. The purposes of the protocol include:

• (a) Supporting a school-based approach to promoting the success of all students by coordinating academic and nonacademic supports to reduce barriers to academic achievement and educational attainment;
• (b) Fulfilling a vision of public education where educators focus on education, students focus on learning, and auxiliary supports enable teaching and learning to occur unimpeded;
• (c) Encouraging the creation, expansion, and quality improvement of community-based supports that can be integrated into the academic environment of schools and school districts;
• (d) Increasing public awareness of the evidence showing that academic outcomes are a result of both academic and nonacademic factors; and
• (e) Supporting statewide and local organizations in their efforts to provide leadership, coordination, technical assistance, professional development, and advocacy to implement high-quality, evidence-based, student-centered, coordinated approaches throughout the state.

(2)(a) The Washington integrated student supports protocol must be sufficiently flexible to adapt to the unique needs of schools and districts across the state, yet sufficiently structured to provide all students with the individual support they need for academic success.

• (b) The essential framework of the Washington integrated student supports protocol includes:
• (i) Needs assessments: A needs assessment must be conducted for all at-risk students in order to develop or identify the needed academic and nonacademic supports within the students’ school and community. These supports must be coordinated to provide students with a package of mutually reinforcing supports designed to meet the individual needs of each student.
• (ii) Integration and coordination: The school and district leadership and staff must develop close relationships with providers of academic and nonacademic supports to enhance the effectiveness of the protocol.
• (iii) Community partnerships: Community partners must be engaged to provide nonacademic supports to reduce barriers to students’ academic success, including supports to students’ families.
• (iv) Data driven: Students’ needs and outcomes must be tracked over time to determine student progress and evolving needs.
• (c) The framework must facilitate the ability of any academic or nonacademic provider to support the needs of at-risk students, including, but not limited to: Out-of-school providers, social workers, mental health counselors, physicians, dentists, speech therapists, and audiologists.

(1) The office of the superintendent of public instruction and the office of the education ombuds shall convene a work group on school bullying and harassment prevention to develop, recommend, and implement strategies to improve school climate and create respectful learning environments in all public schools in Washington. The superintendent of public instruction or a designee shall serve as the chair of the work group.

(2) The work group shall:

• (a) Consider whether additional disaggregated data should be collected regarding incidents of bullying and harassment or disciplinary actions and make recommendations to the office of the superintendent of public instruction for collection of such data;
• (b) Examine possible procedures for anonymous reporting of incidents of bullying and harassment;
• (c) Identify curriculum and best practices for school districts to improve school climate, create respectful learning environments, and train staff and students in de-escalation and intervention techniques;
• (d) Identify curriculum and best practices for incorporating instruction about mental health, youth suicide prevention, and prevention of bullying and harassment;
• (e) Recommend best practices for informing parents about the harassment, intimidation, and bullying prevention policy and procedure under *RCW 28A.300.285 and involving parents in improving school climate;
• (f) Recommend training for district personnel who are designated as the primary contact regarding the policy and procedure and for school resource officers and other school security personnel;
• (g) Recommend educator preparation and certification requirements in harassment, intimidation, and bullying prevention and de-escalation and intervention techniques for teachers, educational staff associates, and school administrators;
• (h) Examine and recommend policies for discipline of students and staff who harass, intimidate, or bully; and
• (i) In collaboration with the state board for community and technical colleges, examine and recommend policies to protect K-12 students attending community and technical colleges from harassment, intimidation, and bullying.

Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the office of the superintendent of public instruction must create and publish on its web site a list of resources available for professional development of school district staff on the following topics: Social-emotional learning, trauma-informed practices, recognition and response to emotional or behavioral distress, consideration of adverse childhood experiences, mental health literacy, antibullying strategies, and culturally sustaining practices. The office of the superintendent of public instruction must include in the list the professional development opportunities and resources identified by the social-emotional learning committee created under RCW 28A.300.477.

The office of the superintendent of public instruction and the school safety [center] advisory committee shall develop a model school district plan for recognition, initial screening, and response to emotional or behavioral distress in students, including but not limited to indicators of possible substance abuse, violence, and youth suicide. The model plan must incorporate research-based best practices, including practices and protocols used in schools and school districts in other states. The model plan must be posted by February 1, 2014, on the school safety center web site, along with relevant resources and information to support school districts in developing and implementing the plan required under RCW 28A.320.127.

The office of the superintendent of public instruction’s school safety center, established in RCW 28A.300.630, shall develop a model school district plan for recognition, initial screening, and response to emotional or behavioral distress in students, including but not limited to indicators of possible substance abuse, violence, and youth suicide. The model plan must incorporate research-based best practices, including practices and protocols used in schools and school districts in other states. The model plan must be posted by February 1, 2014, on the school safety center web site, along with relevant resources and information to support school districts in developing and implementing the plan required under RCW 28A.320.127.

(1) The Washington state school directors' association shall create model school district discipline policies and procedures and post these models publicly by December 1, 2016. In developing these model policies and procedures, the association shall request technical assistance and guidance from the equity and civil rights office within the office of the superintendent of public instruction and the Washington state human rights commission. The model policies and procedures shall be updated as necessary. (2) School districts shall adopt and enforce discipline policies and procedures consistent with the model policy by the beginning of the 2017-18 school year.