Agencies and Committees
WFIS represents the interests of private schools on agency boards and working groups and serves as the official liaison organization for independent schools with OSPI and the Department of Early Learning.WFIS Agency and Committee News
King County launches new environmental health permit system
Seattle and King County's Environmental Health Services Division launched a new permitting system on December 10. Called the Public Health Permit Center, it will be used for "food business permits, on-site sewage system applications, plumbing and gas piping permitting...
Flooding Resources from the Department of Health
Major flooding prompted Level 3 evacuations in Skagit and Snohomish counties. Other regions of Western Washington are also experiencing floods. Flooded areas need to be cleaned right away to prevent mold. Here are some tips: Clean surfaces and everything wet within...
School Health & Safety Program Updates
Tacoma Pierce County Board of Health meeting Wednesday 12-3-25 WFIS provided in-person public comment on the Tacoma/Pierce Health Department's fee increase for safety inspections and site reviews, which take effect in January 2026. While Health Board members indicated...
2025 WA State Learning Standards for Mathematics
Private school math teachers and the entire math department may want to review the newly proposed math standards. While private schools are not required to teach to these standards, aligning and mapping curriculum to them remains an important part of instructional...
Update on Boarding School Rules & Oversight
This week, the Northwest Association of Independent Schools was approved by the State Board of Education to accredit boarding schools. Barring any new changes in the DCYF licensing rules, NWAIS is now fully positioned to implement its accreditation addendum for...
Statewide Support for Clean Buildings: BEACON Fellowship
The BEACON Fellowship project has expanded services statewide. Tier 1 and Tier 2 building owners in any county can receive free Clean Buildings Performance Standard (CBPS) support remotely, including support for: General CBPS education The Clean Buildings portal...
New Sales Tax Expansion
Washington’s bill, ESSB 5814, expanded sales tax to several services commonly used by schools. These changes became effective October 1, 2025, and may affect vendor contracts, professional development, technology services, and more. Instructional Programs Remain...
State CAPE Network Update
State representatives of the Council for American Private Education (CAPE) meet monthly to coordinate responses to legislation that could affect private schools. This month, members devoted significant time to discussing the current state of the U.S. Department of...
PSAC Accreditation Team
The Private School Advisory Council (PSAC) accreditation workgroup, chaired by Debbie Schindler of Pacific Christian Academy, has met regularly this fall to develop a process and apply it to review and approve boarding school accreditation standards. This workgroup is...
OSPI Fall 2025 SS-SWAC Meeting Summary
The first School Safety & Student Well-Being Advisory Committee (SS-SWAC) meeting of the school year was on November 4th. Though the committee summits have been in effect since 2016, many new participants were presented with the historical background and...
About our work
WFIS representatives work with State Agencies, including the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), The Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF), The Department of Health (DOH), and others to advocate for the particular needs of private schools.
WFIS representatives communicate regularly with WFIS leadership and member schools so that dialogue includes the needs of private schools.
WFIS works directly with the executive directors of the accreditation organizations in Washington to protect the integrity of accreditation and our schools. We refer to these leaders as “Constituency Leaders” and rely on their in-depth understanding of their schools to guide WFIS’ policy decisions.
WFIS is in Olympia during the legislative session, building relationships with Legislators and their staff, collaborating with lobbying organizations with similar goals, and reading and contributing to legislation to ensure private schools are considered when law is crafted and passed.