House Bill 1071

Executive Summary

This bill would require every school to have a School Resource Officer (also known as an SRO).

Summary

Every school in Washington (Kindergarten through 12th grade) would be required to hire a full-time school security officer or school resource officer and would be provided the funding to do so.

Key Points

Funding SROs at this level would mean the state of Washington provides school funding for:
- More than 4x as many SROs as social workers
- More SROs than school nurses
- More than 10x as many SROs as psychologists
- More SROs than elementary school counselors

Policing in schools disproportionately targets students of color and students with disabilities.
- Different student groups are policed at disproportionate rates, such as students of color who are arrested or referred to law enforcement at school at a significantly higher rate than white students. Moreover, students with disabilities are arrested or referred to law enforcement nearly 3x the rate as their non-disabled peers.
- See: “School Resource Officers: When the Cure is Worse than the Disease”
More information:
- ACLU Report: Cops and No Counselors
- Brookings Report: A better path forward for criminal justice: Reconsidering police in schools

Ways to Get Involved

Steps to Get Started

Learn where the bill is in the legislative process.
If there is an upcoming hearing, decide how you would like to get your voice heard and take action.
If there is not an upcoming hearing, or if you want to supplement your advocacy, call or write your legislators.
Spread the word and get other people on board.

Participating in a Hearing

Sign in Pro, Con, or Other

This is when individuals, advocates, and organizations make their position on a particular bill known for the record. This is particularly powerful in large numbers. Many organizations will send out Action Alerts asking people to sign in Pro or Con on a bill.

Submit Written Testimony

Submitting written testimony is a great way not only to make your position known to legislators but also to explain why in more detail. This is a good option if you don’t want to speak in front of others. People also like to offer more nuance to their position by writing.

Testify Virtually

Since COVID, many legislators are allowing remote/virtual testimony for bill hearings, as it greatly expands access to the legislative process across the state. For this, individuals usually have between 1-2 minutes to state their opinion on a bill in front of the legislative committee on Zoom.

Testify In Person

To testify on a bill in person, you must travel to Olympia and join the real-time committee hearing on the Capitol campus. You will also get between 1-2 minutes to state your opinion. This is often a powerful way to make an impression on legislators in the room.