2023-2024 School Planning Resources for Education Ombuds Awareness (Senate Bill 5376) Requirements

Beginning August 1, 2023, Senate Bill 5376, requires school districts to provide information about the Office of Education Ombuds (OEO) to families. To assist you, OEO would like to provide you with possible content and contact information which you can use in your back-to-school and/or new student information packets and/or post on your school website.

The Washington State Office of Education Ombuds (OEO) listens, shares information and referrals, and works with families, communities, and schools to address concerns so that every student can fully participate and thrive in our state’s public schools. OEO provides support in multiple languages and has telephone interpretation available. To get help or learn more about what OEO does, please visit our website: https://www.oeo.wa.gov/en; email oeoinfo@gov.wa.gov, or call:  1-866-297-2597 (interpretation available).

The Washington State Governor’s Office of the Education Ombuds (OEO) is an independent state agency that helps to reduce educational opportunity gaps by supporting families, students, educators, and other stakeholders in communities across WA in understanding the K-12 school system and resolving concerns collaboratively. OEO services are free and confidential. Anyone can contact OEO with a question or concern about K-12 public schools.

OEO also has 1-page flyers translated into the following languages, which can be downloaded and printed, or copied and pasted into school newsletters or other school publications.

• OEO Awareness SB 5376 Flyer English
• OEO Awareness SB 5376 Flyer English and Spanish
• OEO Awareness SB 5376 Flyer English and Amharic
• OEO Awareness SB 5376 Flyer English and Arabic
• OEO Awareness SB 5376 Flyer English and Chinese Simplified
• OEO Awareness SB 5376 Flyer English and Dari
• OEO Awareness SB 5376 Flyer English and French
• OEO Awareness SB 5376 Flyer English and Hindi
• OEO Awareness SB 5376 Flyer English and Khmer
• OEO Awareness SB 5376 Flyer English and Korean
• OEO Awareness SB 5376 Flyer English and Marshallese
• OEO Awareness SB 5376 Flyer English and Punjabi
• OEO Awareness SB 5376 Flyer English and Russian
• OEO Awareness SB 5376 Flyer English and Samoan
• OEO Awareness SB 5376 Flyer English and Somali
• OEO Awareness SB 5376 Flyer English and Tagalog
• OEO Awareness SB 5376 Flyer English and Tigrinya
• OEO Awareness SB 5376 Flyer English and Ukrainian
• OEO Awareness SB 5376 Flyer English and Vietnamese

*(1) the Education Ombuds Awareness Senate Bill 5376: Beginning August 1, 2023, public schools must: 17 (a) Provide students and their parents or guardians with a description of the services available through the office of the education ombuds and the contact information for the office of the education ombuds at the time of initial enrollment or admission; and (b) Either: (i) Include on their website a description of the services available through the office of the education ombuds and a link to the website of the office of the education ombuds; or (ii) provide a description of the services available through the office of the education ombuds and the contact information for the office of the education ombuds in existing materials that are shared annually with families, students, and school employees, such as welcome packets, orientation guides, and newsletters.