Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal has proposed a set of rule changes that would tighten the state's oversight of teacher misconduct, including a 30-day deadline for school districts to report allegations and new authority for the state to investigate without waiting for a district complaint. The proposals, sent to the Professional Educator Standards Board on July 13, 2026, follow investigative reporting that found nearly half of teachers listed in the state's public misconduct database had voluntarily surrendered their licenses, keeping case details out of public view.
What the rules would change
The most significant change would impose a firm timeline on school district reporting. Under current state regulations, a superintendent or chief administrator who has sufficient reliable information that an educator committed unprofessional conduct must file a written complaint with OSPI within a reasonable period of time. Failure to report is only actionable when it is intentional or knowing, a standard that state officials say is difficult to enforce. The proposed rules would require districts to report potential misconduct to OSPI within 30 days of establishing that an educator likely engaged in professional misconduct, such as sexual harassment, inappropriate student communication, or falsifying records. If the district takes disciplinary action such as placing a teacher on administrative leave, the reporting deadline would shorten to 10 days.
Another key change would allow OSPI to start an investigation on its own initiative if a district fails to report. Currently, the agency can only open a case upon receiving a formal complaint from a school district superintendent, an educational service district superintendent, or a chief administrator of a private or charter school. OSPI's chief legal and civil rights officer, Darryl Colman, told InvestigateWest that the agency has never taken formal action against a school administrator for failing to report misconduct, and it investigated one superintendent in the past but did not move forward with discipline.
The proposals would also give OSPI emergency authority to temporarily restrict or limit a teacher's K-12 license during an active investigation. The agency says this would help remove educators from classrooms sooner and flag their licenses in Washington's internal credentialing system to prevent hiring in another district. Currently, OSPI can only act on a license when a case is adjudicated.
The rules would expand the definition of student to include any minor attending or participating in a program at any public, private, or charter school in Washington, plus former students over 18 who were enrolled within the previous 12 months. The current definition in state code covers only someone under the supervision, direction, or control of the educational practitioner. The proposed rules would also shift toward explicitly prohibiting nonacademic digital communication with students, rather than assessing it on a case-by-case basis as current rules do.
Voluntary license surrender and funding
The proposed rules would clarify OSPI's authority to deny a teacher's request to voluntarily surrender their K-12 teaching license. Under current practice, voluntary surrender halts the state's investigation and removes the case from the public-facing misconduct database. OSPI officials said they are unsure whether the agency already has that authority. A February 2025 InvestigateWest analysis found that nearly 45 percent of all teachers appearing in OSPI's public misconduct database since 2015 had voluntarily surrendered their licenses. In Seattle Public Schools, 11 of 15 educators in the database had done so.
The Professional Educator Standards Board, a 12-member governor-appointed body, tentatively plans to discuss the proposed changes at its September 24-25, 2026 meeting in Spokane. OSPI also plans to ask lawmakers and the governor in September 2026 to fund additional investigators.
Two-level discipline system
Washington's educator discipline system operates at two levels. Employment discipline is handled locally by school districts. Certificate discipline, which affects a teacher's state license, is handled by OSPI's Office of Professional Practices. The Professional Educator Standards Board sets the code of conduct, and OSPI enforces it. The proposed rules would strengthen the state's role in that structure.