3/1 Advocacy Updates

​PTA Advocacy is still going strong!
Read below to hear about some of the things that have been happening recently and find out how you can still get involved at both the State and National levels!

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​PTA Supports Clean Drinking Water in Our Schools. 
WSPTA supports House Bill 1139, which would pay for and require testing for lead and remediation of public-school outlets that have elevated levels of lead (above 5 ppb). We encourage you to ask questions, educate your parents, and advocate where necessary for clean drinking water. Read this Seattle Times article for more information on the proposed bill. View the bill itself here to find out more and even comment directly on the bill by clicking the “comment” button on the upper right.

PTA Call to Action: Addressing Firearm Safety Measures to Increase Public Safety
We have the opportunity to restrict the access of these most deadly weapons in SSB 5078, which would limit the sale and transfer of high-capacity magazines over 17 rounds. This common-sense legislation was requested by our Attorney General’s office. PTA Advocates can write their legislators and encourage their friends and community members to take a few minutes for the safety of our kids. Add your personal request or story into the accompanying message provided in the Action Network link. Legislators have told us that hearing your personal touch makes a huge impact!

Reopening School Buildings - Role of PTAs
PTA is the oldest and largest child advocacy organization in the United States. Washington State PTA and all its affiliated PTAs have the mission to advocate for the health, safety, well-being, and education of the 1.1 million K-12 students across all of Washington state. The role of PTA in advocacy regarding students returning to learning in school buildings is complicated and you may find yourself asking "What CAN PTA leaders do?". WSPTA has put together this resource to help local leaders navigate this unprecedented time.

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Washington state legislators are well into their session.   Some highlights of what they have done so far:

• Governor Jay Inslee signed into law ESHB 1368, putting $2.2 billion into play across the state for activities related to economic and small business recovery, reopening schools, rental assistance, and COVID-related contact tracing, testing, and vaccinations.
• School districts had to submit a school reopening plan to OSPI by March 1 to receive their portion of the federal stimulus funding.
• The House and Senate have passed and will be sending EHB 1121 shortly to the Governor’s desk for signature, likely sometime this week. The bill would authorize the State Board of Education (SBE) to offer graduation requirement waivers to high school seniors in times of emergencies.
• The House passed SHB 1162 by a vote of 72-26. The bill would allow high school students to graduate with 20 credits, as long as all 17 core credits have been completed, and would add another pathway for graduation – the performance exhibition.
• The House passed ESHB 1336, which would authorize public utility districts, port districts, second-class cities, towns, and counties to provide retail telecommunications services.

For more information on the legislative session read Washington State PTA’s Week 6 and Week 7 reports.
To see current bills and their progress check out WSPTA's Week 8 Bill Status Report.​

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Don't forget about National PTA LegCon 2021 which starts next week!

​There's still time to join NPTA March 9-11 for their first virtual Legislative Conference! You can now register up until the last day of the conference. Don’t miss this opportunity to network with other PTA leaders and learn how to advocate for every child. Check out the full schedule of events and workshops. Read about the benefits of attending LegCon and be sure to register today!

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Ways to Continue PTA Advocacy Education for You & Your Members  

1. Check out the most recent weekly update from WSPTA Legislative Consultant, Marie Sullivan, to discover: 
   ​​            • The timelines for our state legislature’s work this session
               • What bills are on track to pass and what has stalled
               • How our PTAs are working to promote PTA priorities and issues
   
2. Go to Washington State PTA Advocacy pages to check out great videos and handouts which introduce Washington State PTA issues and priorities. The direct link to the videos is Advocacy 2021 Session - YouTube  
3. Sign up for Action Network to participate in timely action alerts through the session. As a bonus, subscribers to the Action Network receive the new “Focus on Advocacy” newsletter.
   
4. Contact Northshore Council's VP of Advocacy, Diana Christiansen, with any questions you may have around increasing your PTAs Advocacy efforts.