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House Education Committee hears testimony on bill to coordinate school behavioral-health supports
Summary
Lawmakers and stakeholders told the House Education Committee that House Bill 16-34 (proposed second substitute) would create a statewide technical assistance and training framework so schools can connect to prevention, early identification, and crisis services; supporters stressed coordination, opponents warned of medicalization.
At a House Education Committee work session and subsequent public hearing, lawmakers heard from the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Work Group, OSPI staff and dozens of witnesses about House Bill 16-34 (proposed second substitute), a measure that would direct the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and Educational Service Districts to develop a statewide technical assistance and training framework for school behavioral health.
Rep. Lisa Callan, co-chair of the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Work Group, opened the work session by describing the group's goal to "focus in on the K-twelve elements" of a broader system for children and youth behavioral health. Tisha Kirschbaum, director of the Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery at the Health Care Authority, framed the proposal within the Washington Thriving strategic plan and argued the state needs "a system of care" to reduce fragmentation and shorten delays in service for young people and families.
The school-based subgroup, co-chaired by Rep. Mai Lin Tai and…
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