Committee hears bill to require tribal sovereignty curriculum, OSPI to support local consultation

A Senate committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 5,570, which would require Washington public school districts to incorporate curriculum about federally recognized tribes into social studies courses no later than Sept. 1, 2026, and to "consult and collaborate with federally recognized tribes" during that process. Elena Becker, committee staff, presented the bill to the Early Learning & K–12 Education Committee.

Becker told the committee: "This bill is Senate Bill 55 70 relating to supporting public school instruction in tribal sovereignty and federally recognized Indian tribes." She summarized that districts already have a statutory duty dating from 2015 to incorporate tribal history and that the state-maintained John McCoy "Since Time Immemorial" curriculum is the statutory resource districts are directed to use.

The bill would add the word "consult" to the collaboration directive, require the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) through its Office of Native Education to assist…