Legislation on cultural competency training passes Senate floor

State senators voted 30-19 Wednesday to pass legislation that would revise existing cultural competency training for school personnel.

Senate Bill 5044 would add equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism in cultural competency training, according to the bill’s text. School districts would also need to dedicate one of three professional learning days to focus on the four topics.

Majority Caucus Vice Chair Mona Das, D-Kent, is the primary sponsor of SB 5044.

Das said during the virtual floor debate she and her family came from India when she was 8 months old. She started learning English when she was in kindergarten, which affected the way teachers taught her.

SB 5004 is part of the solution that will address situations like what Das had experienced, she said. People are being treated differently because of the color of their skin or the language they speak — racism and racial injustice still exist.

“2020 only further underscored how important it is that we don’t just dust off our hands and act like racism and racial injustice are over,” Das said.

Sen. Brad Hawkins, R-East Wenatchee, voted against SB 5004. His amendment, which would allow — not require — school districts to include equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism in cultural competency training, was not adopted to the bill.

Another part of Hawkins’ amendment would make it optional for school districts to assign one professional learning day about equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism.

Hawkins said during the virtual floor debate he served in school boards before coming into the legislature. He supports school districts having the option to enforce or teach things, like comprehensive sex education or tribal history.

“I’m a big supporter of local control,” Hawkins said. “I think school districts should … be allowed to do it rather than required to do it.”

Sen. Sam Hunt, D-Olympia, said during the virtual floor debate equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism training is essential and should not be optional.

“If we’re going to work for equity, we should be doing it statewide,” Hunt said.

Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, voted against SB 5004. Her amendment, which would include Asian American curriculum and addresses bias, stereotypes and racism against them, was not adopted to the bill.

Warnick said during the virtual floor debate she did not see topics in the legislation relating to Asian Americans, so she wants to make sure information on the group is included.

“I don’t believe my grandkids learned about the Japanese internment camps during World War II in their classes,” Warnick said. “That is such an important part of our history.”

Das said she agrees Asian Americans should be considered when addressing institutional racism in schools, but it is not the time to call out specific races or ethnicities without mentioning other groups.

“Asian Americans are already included in the global language of this bill,” Das said.

Other bills that passed the Senate include SB 5013, SB 5024 and SB 5061. All Senate bills will move to the respective House committees.