Advocacy

Washington State PTA shall advocate for legislation, policies, and budgets that: 

• Fully fund special education services and improve equity in funding formulas. 
• Address the statewide special education staffing shortage. 
• Provide ongoing training in inclusionary practices while meeting all specially designed instruction and accommodation requirements. 
• Address disproportionality in referrals for special education evaluations, underidentification and overidentification in eligibility determination, and disproportionate discipline of students with disabilities. 

Washington State PTA shall advocate for legislation or policies that ensure all students have access to behavioral and mental health resources, including funding, for: 

• Reduced student to mental health professional ratios. 
• Programs and incentives to recruit, train and retain mental health professionals. 
• Resources for families, training and support for educators and administrators, and responses to traumatic incidents. 
• Accessible, culturally responsive and trauma-informed mental health services and supports for students, including prevention, early intervention and support for school attendance. 
• Increased equitable access to mental and behavioral health treatment, including increasing staffing in schools and more comprehensive screening. 

Washington State PTA shall advocate for legislation or policies that ensure every Washington student builds foundational literacy and mathematics skills and advances to grade-level proficiency by: 

• Strengthening early learning and learning outcomes across K-12. 
• Funding enhanced intervention and coaching support. 
• Investing in evidence-based instruction and training. 
• Integrating mental health supports.

Washington State PTA shall advocate for legislation or policies that: 

• Strengthen safe storage laws and restrict unsupervised youth firearm access to reduce youth firearm suicide, unintentional shootings, school shootings, and violent crime. 
• Limit firearms in sensitive places like parks, playgrounds, and public buildings. 
• Support community violence prevention, suicide prevention, mental health programs and weapon safety education. 
• Prioritize school premises safety. 

Washington State PTA shall advocate for legislation and budgets that: 

• Ensure the financial stability of all school districts. 
• Close funding gaps. 
• Avoid new unfunded mandates. 
• Restore recent cuts. 

So that state funding reflects and keeps pace with actual costs, and revises the  funding model to become more equity- and student centered, with increased investments in programs known to improve student outcomes and class sizes that support student academic and social-emotional success. 

Washington State PTA shall advocate for legislation or policies that lower the school bond election threshold to a simple majority, remove the 40 percent validation requirement, and develop additional, equitable access to state school construction funds for districts where voter-approved bonds cannot generate sufficient revenue due to a limited property tax base. 

Washington State PTA shall advocate for legislation and policies that fund K-12 HVAC modernization — ventilation improvements, filtration, cooling, and clean, energy-efficient systems — using Climate Commitment Act revenues and capital funding, to protect student health and learning, including during wildfire smoke and extreme heat, and to meet Clean Buildings Performance Standards.

Washington State PTA supports legislation and policies addressing student personal electronic device use in schools. It advocates for a statewide minimum standard for school districts that requires K-12 students’ personal devices be off and away from first bell of the school day to the last bell, with: 

• Individualized accommodations for disability-related or health-related needs, including communication and assistive technology. 
• Local control over implementation. 
• Positive, proactive enforcement.