Washington State Legal, Legislative and Policy Links This page was last updated on 05/11/10  If you know of errors please click here to let us know.

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Toll-free Legislative Hotline: 1-800-562-6000 Washington State Legislature: http://www.leg.wa.gov/legislature Find out who your legislators are: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/ Search for WA State bill information here: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/ The Washington State Human Rights Commission: http://www.hum.wa.gov/

2010 LEGISLATIVE SESSION – Bills of interest to Safe Schools Coalition member organizations & friends

 

Laws of interest to Safe Schools Coalition member organizations & friends
 

Signed into law in 2010:

• HB 3026 (pdf format) – gives the Office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) authority to monitor and enforce school districts’ compliance with state and federal civil rights laws.
• HB 2801 (pdf format) – relates to anti-harassment/bullying strategies in public schools. The bill requires school districts to improve their policies, add procedures, and designates the Office of the Education Ombudsman (OEO) as the lead agency to provide resources and tools to families to prevent and identify bullying.

From The Washington State Human Rights Commission: top of page

Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity Questions: http://www.hum.wa.gov/FAQ/FAQSexualOrientation2.html

General Questions (such as "Who can file a complaint with the Commission?" and "Do I need an attorney?"): http://www.hum.wa.gov/FAQ/FAQGeneral.html

RCW 49.60 is the statute – the anti-discrimination law -- enforced by the Washington State Human Rights Commission. Read it here: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=49.60

From the ACLU: top of page

Know Your Rights: A Guide for Public School Students in Washington: This document from ACLU summarizes the current laws governing students' life in Washington's public primary and secondary schools. http://www.aclu-wa.org/library_files/Guide for Public School Students.pdf (pdf file)

Parents’ Guide to Public School Discipline in Washington: This guide from ACLU provides nuts-and-bolts advice for parents and guardians whose children are facing disciplinary proceedings in public schools. http://www.aclu-wa.org/library_files/Discipline_guide_parents_3_07.pdf (pdf file)

Parents’ Guide to School Board Advocacy in Washington: This publication from ACLU is designed to serve as a tool for parents who want to communicate and advocate before their school board. It is not meant to provide legal advice. http://www.aclu-wa.org/library_files/Advocacy_guide_parents_3_07.pdf (pdf file)

Parents’ Guide to Truancy in Washington: This guide from ACLU is designed to help parents understand their children’s rights in the truancy process. It is not meant to provide legal advice. http://www.aclu-wa.org/library_files/Truancy_guide_parents_5_07.pdf (pdf file)

Washington State organizations to contact for more information: top of page

ACLU of Washington: http://www.aclu-wa.org/

Equal Rights Washington: http://equalrightswashington.org/

Governor's Office of the Education Ombudsman, http://www.governor.wa.gov/oeo/, toll-free number: 1-866-297-2597. Phone interpreter services available

Lambda Legal http://lambdalegal.org/ Western Regional office: 213-382-7600; Washington State contact: Tara Borelli TBorelli@lambdalegal.org 

League of Women Voters of Washington: http://www.lwvwa.org/ and Greater Seattle http://www.seattlelwv.org/

Legal Voice: http://www.nwwlc.org/ - info@LegalVoice.org (Founded in 1978 as the Northwest Women's Law Center.)

Log Cabin Republicans of Washington: http://www.logcabinwashington.com/

Policy Watch, from the University of Washington School of Social Work is no longer being published but the archive of back issues is a treasure trove for people new to the idea of lobbying their legislators: http://depts.washington.edu/sswweb/policyw/archive/

SEAMEC: Seattle Municipal Elections Committee: http://www.seamec.org

Washington State Human Rights Commission, http://www.hum.wa.gov/, Toll Free: 1-800-233-3247 (Se habla Espańol), TTY: 1-800-300-7525

Washington State Stonewall Democrats:  http://www.stonewalldemswa.org

Law Enforcement

1. Your first call to law enforcement in a harassment, violence, or discrimination situation should always be to 9-1-1.

2. If the response of the 9-1-1 operator or the responding officer is unsympathetic or disrespectful and you need advice about what to do next, contact us at the Safe Schools Coalition. 1-866-SAFE-SAFE or intervention@safeschoolscoalition.org and we will get back with you within 24 hours.

 

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