Washington State is facing a growing adolescent mental health crisis, but public schools rely largely on reactive, crisis-based responses that fail to equip students with preventative skills. This brief proposes the Mental Health Literacy in Schools Act, which would fund evidence-based, age-appropriate mental health education for all K–12 students, shifting the focus to resilience and early help-seeking. Investing in universal mental health literacy would improve student well-being, academic outcomes, and the state’s long-term future.

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January 10, 2026