Committee hears bill to strengthen survivor-centered reporting, training and guides in K–12 schools

The House Education Committee took testimony on House Bill 1817, a bill that would expand student input, training and guidance aimed at supporting survivors of sexual assault and related misconduct in public elementary and secondary schools. The bill directs the Legislative Youth Advisory Council (LYAC), supported by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, to conduct up to three collaborative meetings with specified agencies and organizations to solicit student feedback on mandatory-reporting requirements and recommend trauma-informed, survivor-centered practices; LYAC must report recommendations by Dec. 1, 2025.

Megan Wargacki, counsel to the committee, summarized the bill’s key elements: (1) LYAC-led mandatory-reporting discussions and a report due 12/01/2025; (2) new training standards, effective Aug. 1, 2027, requiring hired-and-every-three-years training that promotes trauma-informed, survivor-centered responses and includes bystander-intervention training for employees; and (3) a student-and-family guide to a district’s sexual-harassment policy prepared by OSPI in collaboration with WASDA and local experts, to be posted by Nov. 1, 2026 and translated into commonly used non‑English languages.

Sponsor Representative Eric Scott (opening remarks) framed the bill as a student-focused response to a rising number of reports of assault and increased student awareness. “This bill is designed to combat ... the folks who are the most likely to feel disempowered, which are young people, students in our K–12 institutions,” Scott said. He described the bill as student‑led and survivor‑centered and noted a companion Senate bill.

Students and advocates delivered substantial testimony supporting the bill. Student witnesses described barriers to reporting, lack of clarity about what happens after a disclosure, and reporting tools that are difficult to find or contain accusatory language. Oliver Farvar, a Lake Washington High School student, recounted personally experiencing assault and the obstacles male survivors faced in reporting and seeking help. “We need this bill to be passed and this tool to be required statewide so that students who have experienced sexual assault can get the resources they need,” he testified.

OSPI and its Equity and Civil Rights Office testified in support. Sarah Albertson, managing attorney at OSPI’s Equity and Civil Rights Office, said OSPI’s 2023 report found students often don’t feel safe disclosing to adults because they don’t know what will happen after disclosure and fear being judged or retraumatized; the proposed training and student guides would address those deficits. OSPI indicated it did not recommend consent-based reporting in its 2023 report and that the LYAC’s recommendations would inform OSPI’s materials.

Questions from committee members addressed scope and definitions. Representative Kallen asked whether “bystander” is defined in the bill; staff said the bill contains no definition. Representative Couture asked about consent-based reporting and whether moving away from mandatory reporting could endanger children; OSPI testified it raised the issue but did not make a recommendation on consent-based reporting in the 2023 report.

Supporters urged OSPI guidance and translated materials to ensure multilingual families can access resources; several student witnesses emphasized the importance of trauma‑informed staff responses. Opponents who testified cautioned about parental involvement and OSPI’s role in reviewing local school board policies. John Axtell, a student-advocate and former school official, argued school boards should adopt policies and that OSPI should not need to review every district policy; others pressed for clarity about parent and guardian roles in the process.

The public hearing closed with no committee vote. Committee staff recorded 1,729 people signed in not wishing to testify for the record on the bill (55 pro, 1,671 con, 3 other). The bill’s major implementation milestones in the text — LYAC report (12/01/2025), OSPI posting training materials (11/01/2026), and effective staff training standard date (08/01/2027) — were emphasized by witnesses as necessary steps to reach the bill’s survivor-centered goals.

Ending: The bill remains at the public hearing stage; supporters urged the committee to adopt the student-led recommendations that LYAC will produce and to ensure OSPI materials and district guides are trauma-informed, survivor-centered and translated.