SB 6115

S-3881.1
  SENATE BILL 6115
State of Washington  69th Legislature     2026 Regular Session
By Senators Cortes and Saldaña
Read first time 01/14/26.    Referred to Committee on Health & Long-
Term Care.
1     AN ACT Relating to comprehensive cancer education programs; and
2 adding a new section to chapter 43.70 RCW.
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
4     NEW SECTION.   Sec. 1.   A new section is added to chapter 43.70
5 RCW to read as follows:
6     (1) Subject to amounts appropriated for this specific purpose,
7 the department shall contract with a training entity to deliver age-
8 appropriate comprehensive cancer education programs to students in
9 grades six through 12. Each school district may voluntarily decide
10 whether to offer the programs and which grades to include.
11     (2) The comprehensive cancer education programs shall be designed
12 to be delivered in single sessions compatible with the normal length
13 of a daily class period, typically 50 to 75 minutes long. Depending
14 on the needs of each school district, to the extent practicable, the
15 content must align with existing school health curricula and be
16 adaptable to various formats, including assemblies for all students
17 or specific grades, individual class sessions, or extended over
18 multiple   sessions.   The  program   will   provide   age-appropriate
19 information on cancer, covering topics such as cancer prevention,
20 risk reduction, and available social and emotional resources.
21 Additionally, the program must be designed to encourage supplemental
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1 teacher education to extend content beyond the initial programming,
2 and across multisubject disciplines.
3     (3) In selecting a training entity to contract with, the
4 department shall select an entity with a demonstrated record of
5 delivering comprehensive cancer education programs to youth in
6 Washington, in both school settings and youth organizations, that
7 address the topics of cancer prevention, cancer risk reduction, and
8 available social and emotional resources. The training entity must be
9 able to provide evidence of past performance, such as documented
10 outcomes, testimonials, or case studies that show the effectiveness
11 and impact of its programs.
12     (4) The department shall require the training entity to use the
13 funds   provided  in   this  section   to  enhance  and   expand  its
14 comprehensive cancer education program in Washington. These funds are
15 intended to supplement, not replace, current offerings, assuring the
16 state is purchasing additional capacity to deliver:
17     (a) Additional programs beyond the number that the training
18 entity provided in the 2023-24 academic calendar year;
19     (b) Programs across geographically diverse parts of the state;
20     (c) Programs in a manner that assures racial and ethnic diversity
21 among the total number of students receiving the program; and
22     (d) Programs to Spanish-speaking students. Additional language
23 options may be considered in the future.
24     (5) The selected training entity may contract with other persons
25 or training entities, as necessary, to meet the demand for delivering
26 the comprehensive cancer education program and to deliver the program
27 in Spanish. These contracted entities must be held to the same
28 standards as the selected training entity, presenting content,
29 conducting evaluations, and collecting feedback from students and
30 schools.
31     (6)(a) By December 1, 2027, the department must report to the
32 governor and the legislature on the comprehensive cancer education
33 programs offered under this section. The report must include:
34     (i) The total number of programs delivered by school district,
35 including the geographic location of the schools where the programs
36 were delivered;
37     (ii)   Student   participation  information,   including   number,
38 geographic location, age, and grade level;
39     (iii) The number of programs offered in Spanish and the number of
40 participating students; and
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1     (iv) Other relevant information and recommendations pertaining to
2 the program.
3     (b) The selected training program must report information to the
4 department as the department finds necessary to complete its
5 reporting requirements.
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