State Laws Matter When It Comes to District Policymaking Relative to the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child Framework

BACKGROUND: The Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) framework supports the “whole child” across 10 domains. This study assessed state law and district policy WSCC coverage. METHODS: Primary legal research was used to compile relevant district policies and state laws for a stratified random sample of 368 public school districts across 20 states for school year 2017‐18. Policies/laws were evaluated on 79 items across the WSCC domains (range: 3‐14 items/domain). Multivariable regressions examined the relationship between state laws and district policies, controlling for district characteristics, and weighted to account for the sample design and non‐response. RESULTS: On average, district policies and state laws addressed 53% and 60% of the 79 items, respectively. State law predicted district policy WSCC attention across items (coeff. = 0.26, 95% CI = 0.14, 0.38) and 4 domains: physical activity (coeff. = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.29, 0.86); health services (coeff. = 0.50, 95% CI = 0.39, 0.62); social and emotional climate (coeff. = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.23, 0.45); and family engagement (coeff. = 0.41, 95% CI = 0.28, 0.54). State law was associated with lower district‐level coverage in 3 domains (health education; counseling, psychological, and social services; and community involvement). CONCLUSIONS: Although WSCC implementation is locally‐driven, states have an active role to play in setting a policy “floor” for guiding district WSCC attention.