WA SB5126

Establishes a statewide network for student mental and behavioral health coordinated by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) in collaboration with local education agencies, educational service districts, Health Care Authority, Department of Health, and Department of Children, Youth, and Families

Creates a regional school-based mental and behavioral health student assistance program through educational service districts to deploy prevention, screening, intervention, and referral services in communities with limited access to behavioral health services

Requires regional programs to provide student behavioral health services including screening, care coordination, individual and group interventions, classroom education on mental health and substance use prevention, and support for multidisciplinary school teams

Establishes a grant program through OSPI to help school districts develop and implement plans for recognizing, screening, and responding to emotional or behavioral distress in students as required by existing state law (RCW 28A.320.127)

Supports behavioral health career pathways by allowing regional programs to hire and train non-licensed staff seeking careers in school-based behavioral health, with licensed educational service districts permitted to pilot telehealth and in-person treatment services