Wash. Rev. Code § 28A.600.015
RCW 28A.600.015
Finding-Intent- 2016 c 72 : "(1) The legislature has already established that it is a goal of the state to provide for a public school system that gives all students the opportunity to achieve personal and academic success. This goal contains within it a promise of excellence and opportunity for all students, not just some students. In 2012, in McCleary v. State of Washington, the Washington supreme court reaffirmed the positive constitutional right of every student by noting, "No child is excluded." In establishing the educational opportunity gap oversight and accountability committee in 2009, the legislature recognized that additional work was needed to fulfill the promise of excellence and opportunity for students of certain demographic groups, including English language learners.
(2) In its 2015 report to the legislature, the educational opportunity gap oversight and accountability committee made the following recommendations in keeping with its statutory purpose, which is to recommend specific policies and strategies to close the educational opportunity gap:
(a) Reduce the length of time students of color are excluded from school due to suspension and expulsion and provide students support for reengagement plans;
(b) Enhance the cultural competence of current and future educators and classified staff;
(c) Endorse all educators in English language learner and second language acquisition;
(d) Account for the transitional bilingual instruction program instructional services provided to English language learner students;
(e) Analyze the opportunity gap through deeper disaggregation of student demographic data;
(f) Invest in the recruitment, hiring, and retention of educators of color;
(g) Incorporate integrated student services and family engagement; and
(h) Strengthen student transitions at each stage of the education development pathway: Early learning to elementary, elementary to secondary, secondary to college and career.
(3) The legislature finds that these recommendations represent a holistic approach to making progress toward closing the opportunity gap. The recommendations are interdependent and mutually reinforcing. Closing the opportunity gap requires highly skilled, culturally competent, and diverse educators who understand the communities and cultures that students come from; it requires careful monitoring of not only the academic performance but also the educational environment for all students, at a fine grain of detail to assure adequate accountability; and it requires a robust program of instruction, including appropriately trained educators, to help English language learners gain language proficiency as well as academic proficiency.
(4) Therefore, the legislature intends to adopt policies and programs to implement the six recommendations of the educational opportunity gap oversight and accountability committee and fulfill its promise of excellence and opportunity for all students." [ 2016 c 72 s 1.]
Application-Enforcement of laws protecting health and safety-2013 2nd sp.s. c 18: See note following RCW 28A.600.022.
Findings-Purpose-Part headings not law-2006 c 263: See notes following RCW 28A.150.230.