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Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
WA governor signs parental ‘bill of rights' rewrite
Gov. Bob Ferguson hands over one of the pens he used to sign House Bill 1296, the 'students bill of rights' to a child who attended the bill signing. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard) The parental 'bill of rights' overhaul, one of the most divisive bills approved during this year's Washington state legislative session, was signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson on Tuesday. The legislation stems from Initiative 2081, a citizen initiative lawmakers approved last year that granted certain rights to the parents of public school students under age 18. It allowed parents to easily access school materials, their child's medical records, and promised immediate notification if a child is involved in a crime. Democrats said they would write a 'clean-up bill' if the initiative clashed with other state and federal laws. But Republicans said the law signed Monday goes much further and undermines the initiative, which hundreds of thousands of voters signed on in support of in 2023. The law contains an emergency clause. This will allow it to take effect immediately, and it eliminates the possibility of a referendum that would give voters a chance to weigh in on the law. Democratic lawmakers have said the emergency clause would help provide schools more clarity right away. Republicans criticize it as a ploy to block any referendum effort. Meanwhile, some opponents are already saying they will seek alternative paths to a repeal. Along with parental rights, students' rights are included, such as the right to receive an education in a safe and supportive learning environment, free of harassment and bullying. The law also makes clear that students are free to exercise constitutionally protected rights at school. Rep. Monica Stonier, D-Vancouver, the lead sponsor of House Bill 1296, said students deserve to have a diverse curriculum that reflects the true history and experiences of people, to be able to experience a school system without discrimination, and that student rights can coexist with parental rights. Ferguson echoed that view during the bill signing. 'The top priority for our schools must be to ensure a safe learning environment where every student has a chance to thrive,' he said. Parts of the earlier parents' rights initiative, such as allowing parents to review school curriculum and textbooks, and requiring school districts to 'immediately' notify parents if a student is a victim of abuse, sexual misconduct, or assault, were kept in the rewrite. A significant change from the initiative was the removal of access to medical records. Democrats have said separating educational and medical records was necessary to prevent confusion. For example, a 1985 law gives children 13 years or older the right to mental health treatment without parental consent. Republican critics of the new legislation argue that the definition of mental health care has expanded over the past 40 years to include gender-affirming care, psychiatric medications and other health services that parents should know about. New parental rights would also be added, including ones for parents to be notified of their child's unexcused absences and to engage in efforts to reduce those absences and to request information about special education programs and determine eligibility. Throughout the session, debates related to the legislation flared over gender inclusivity and diversity, equity and inclusion. Republicans introduced several unsuccessful amendments to prevent transgender girls from participating in girls' sports and entering girls' locker rooms. The law also adds ethnicity, homelessness, immigration or citizenship status, and neurodivergence as protected classes and clarifies protections for sexual orientation, gender expression and gender identity. A new complaint process is established as well. This directs the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction to investigate complaints if schools fail to comply with state laws in areas like civil rights, nondiscrimination, harassment, and the physical restraint or isolation of students. In cases where districts are found to be willfully disobeying state law, they could see 20% of their state funds withheld and redirected to resolving the issues identified by the state. This option is intended as a last resort. Even so, Republicans view it as too punitive and claim it takes away local control. Let's Go Washington, the group behind Initiative 2081, plans to mount a repeal effort against the new law, according to Hallie Balch, a spokesperson for the group. Balch did not specify whether this might involve a ballot initiative or a new initiative to the Legislature. Unlike a referendum, both of those options would be open to the group. But they would require the collection of nearly 400,000 signatures. The deadline to file initiatives, including required signatures, for the 2025 general election ballot is July 3. Initiatives to the Legislature, for next year's session, can be filed until Jan. 2, 2026.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Parental rights overhaul gains final approval in WA Legislature
The Washington state Capitol on April 18, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard) Lawmakers in the Washington state House advanced a bill addressing student and parental rights on Thursday, clearing the way for it to reach the governor's desk. Debate around the bill has been some of the most divisive of this year's session. The legislation largely stems from a citizen initiative lawmakers approved last year that granted certain rights to parents of public school students under age 18. This included the ability for parents to easily access school materials, such as textbooks, curriculum, and their child's medical records. When Democrats agreed to pass that initiative, they said they would revisit it if it clashed with other state and federal laws. That's what they said this year's legislation was about. 'It is creating a lot of confusion for parents, for educators, for the local school directors, all of whom are trying to independently interpret the law; that is a recipe for disaster,' said Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos, D-Seattle, who chairs the House Education Committee. House Bill 1296 passed on a 59-39, party-line vote. 'This bill creates that clarity to make sure that it's not just some voices, but all voices are heard,' said Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self, D-Mukilteo. Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, has not publicly taken a position on the bill. On Thursday, when Democrats denied a Republican motion to invalidate changes made in the Senate, one Republican lawmaker rose to shout at the speaker presiding over the chamber, Rep. Tarra Simmons, D-Bremerton. 'Not only do you take rules and break them,' yelled Rep. Jeremie Dufault, R-Selah, without being called upon. 'You break your own rules!' The sudden disruption derailed progress on the bill for hours. Dufault was not present in the chamber for the ensuing floor debate on the bill and participated virtually instead. And there was an increased Washington State Patrol presence in the House. Republicans have hammered the Democratic effort throughout the session, framing it as a strategy to gut the initiative. 'Parents are afraid,' said Rep. Deb Manjarrez, R-Wapato. 'They didn't want information to be kept from them about their child, I don't want information kept from me about my child,' she said. The bill includes language around gender issues and diversity, equity and inclusion. Republicans previously introduced unsuccessful amendments to prevent transgender girls from participating in girls' sports and entering girls' locker rooms. Under the legislation, a new complaint process would be established, and the bill directs the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction to investigate complaints from students, parents, and others if schools fail to comply with state laws in areas like civil rights, nondiscrimination, harassment, and the physical restraint or isolation of students. The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction would have to take numerous steps to intervene, with the consequences for school officials and districts becoming more severe in cases where they are found to be willfully disobeying state law. As a last resort, the office could withhold up to 20% of a district's state funds and redirect that money toward resolving the issues the state has identified. Republicans claim this will take control away from local school districts and is too punitive toward schools. The bill itself states: 'Local control is not absolute and must also be balanced against the need to ensure all students have access to a healthy, safe learning environment that celebrates and protects their diversity and civil rights.' School districts could not terminate, demote, suspend, or take any other negative action against a school employee for supporting students exercising their legal rights or for teaching about historically marginalized and underrepresented groups. Nine specific student rights are also outlined, such as the right to receive an education in a safe and supportive learning environment, free of harassment and bullying. The bill makes it clear that students are free to exercise constitutionally protected rights at school. It also directs schools to develop promotional materials that incorporate these rights and make this information widely accessible to all students. The legislation keeps parts of the initiative that allow parents to review school curriculum and textbooks, and require school districts to 'immediately' notify parents if a student is a victim of abuse, sexual misconduct, or assault. It would enable parents to opt their child out of any survey, analysis, or evaluation regarding political affiliations, sexual behavior, religious practices, and more. New parental rights would also be added, including ones for parents to be notified of their child's unexcused absences and to engage in efforts to reduce those absences and to request information about special education programs and determine eligibility. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Monica Stonier, D-Vancouver, disagreed with Republicans' criticisms. 'While it may have been said that this bill guts parental rights that were passed from the initiative,' she said, 'I believe this bill extends parental rights to more parents.'
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rewrite of parental rights law passes Washington House
Tense floor debate in the House on Monday, April 14, 2025 about Senate Bill 5181, the bill regarding parental rights. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard) Washington House lawmakers, for nearly five hours on Monday, battled through the latest round of debate in the state Legislature over parental rights. Democrats say the bill they approved is needed to clarify parts of a citizen initiative that the Legislature passed last year and to align it with other state and federal laws. Republicans frame the effort as a strategy to gut the earlier measure, which lays out certain rights for the parents of public school students. The bill passed on a party-line vote, 56-39. Democrats at one point invoked a rule to halt debate on amendments, which sped up proceedings but also blocked Republicans from voicing concerns. 'Not every child in this state or in this country has the benefit of parents who are loving, who are supportive, who are there for them,' said Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos, D-Seattle, who chairs the House Education Committee. Republicans slammed the bill, at times characterizing it as one of the worst Democrats have put forward this year. 'This bill is creating a wedge, putting a wedge between parents and their children,' said Rep. Stephanie Barnard, R-Pasco. 'I feel like the schools should not operate under the premise that the parents are bad or dangerous, that type of premise, again, creates that wedge.' House approval moves the legislation closer to becoming state law, but because the bill was amended, it must go back to the Senate before it can potentially head to the governor's desk. Initiative 2081 was a citizen initiative that more than 400,000 residents signed onto and that was approved in last year's legislative session. It declared 15 specific rights for the parents and guardians of public school children under the age of 18. Two bills linked to the initiative are currently in play — Senate Bill 5181, which the House approved on Monday and House Bill 1296, which was overhauled last month to deal largely with the rights of students. The Senate approved House Bill 1296 on Friday. Some of the biggest changes Senate Bill 5181 would make to the law passed last year are around parents' access to their children's medical records, including for mental health counseling. It would remove the rights of parents to receive prior notification when medical services are being offered to their child, except where emergency medical treatment is required. The same goes for notifications about when a school has arranged directly or indirectly for medical treatment that results in follow-up care outside normal school hours. Democrats say some of those rights are still included in other state and federal laws but students do have privacy rights when it comes to their health care. For example, a 1985 law gives children 13 years or older the right to mental health treatment without parental consent. The bill also removes language from the existing parental rights law that would make medical and mental health records available to a child's parents. But here again, Democratic lawmakers have suggested that parents should still have access to these types of records under other state laws. 'The medical records that are being referenced are not created in school environments,' said Rep. Monica Stonier, D-Vancouver. 'Educational records are educational records and are governed by public school policy. Health care records are health care records. Those are not created by school personnel.' Similar to the law approved last year, the bill calls for 'immediate notification' of parents if there's an allegation of a crime committed against their child, or if their child is interrogated by police. It also adds other notifications, including when a child has been detained for involvement in criminal activity or if a school shooting occurs. The bill specifies that schools don't have to release records to parents who are under investigation for, or charged with, child abuse or neglect. During Monday's floor action, Republicans introduced 15 amendments, of which two were adopted. These included ones calling for parents to receive a copy of a child's public school records within 10 business days, instead of 45 days, and to publish a notice that identifies medical services made available to students without prior consent of a parent or legal guardian. Republicans blasted Democrats for cutting off debate. Earlier in the session, Democrats changed the House rules so they could do this with the support of a simple majority rather than two-thirds of members. 'We knew this day might come, but to see it unfold during the Parental Rights initiative — backed by nearly half a million voters — is a disgrace, ' Republican Deputy Minority Leader Rep. Chris Corry, R-Yakima, said in a statement. Rep. Jeremie Dufault, R-Selah, said the bill 'led to the censorship of representatives of the people of Washington state who strongly supported the initiative.' Rejected amendments included ones calling for parents to get prior notification when medical services are being offered to their child, to receive medical records, including for mental health counseling, for children under 12, and to remove the emergency clause that would allow the bill to take effect immediately and prevent it from facing a potential voter referendum. Republicans also proposed an amendment to block transgender girls from participating in girls' sports. 'This amendment relies on two erroneous premises, the first that trans girls are not girls, not true, and the second, that boys are inherently better athletes than girls, not true,' said Rep. Sharlett Mena, D-Tacoma, before Democrats rejected the amendment. GOP lawmakers also sought to prohibit pornographic images from instructional materials, but Democrats said certain images may be needed to teach science and health curriculum and voted this down, too. When the Legislature passed the initiative last year, Democrats said that they would revisit the law if it created confusion. 'That's exactly what we're doing, is coming back to provide the clarity that we said needed to be done in order to make sure that the bill that we pass aligns with our current state law,' said Sen. Claire Wilson, D-Auburn, the sponsor of the Senate bill on students' rights.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democrats in WA Legislature shift approach to parental and students' rights bills
The Washington state Capitol on March 27, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard) A tense debate over the rights of public school students and their parents took another twist in the Washington Legislature on Thursday. Democrats on a Senate committee stripped a House bill of provisions dealing with parental rights, while leaving parts covering students' rights. A Senate-approved bill on parental rights is still pending in the House, setting up a situation where the two related sets of issues are on track to be handled with separate pieces of legislation. The Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee passed the amended version of House Bill 1296 on a party-line vote. Sen. Claire Wilson, D-Auburn, put forward the amendment that removed the language about parental rights, and said it was part of a strategy to keep the bills moving forward to address some of the issues involved before the session ends on April 27. 'It's keeping all doors open and all windows open so we can make sure something ends on the other side,' Wilson said. Rep. Monica Stonier, D-Vancouver, sponsor of the House bill, said that she would have rather not seen this language removed from the bill, but that the end goal is still the same: to have policies covering students' rights and parental rights. 'There's nothing in my mind that doesn't allow for students' rights to exist concurrently with parental rights, I don't see any conflict there,' Stonier said. Examples of students' rights included in HB 1296 include the right to learn in a safe, supportive learning environment, free from harassment, intimidation, or bullying; to receive copies of all school policies and procedures related to students; and to access academic courses and instructional materials with historically and scientifically accurate information. Wilson's rewrite also added language from another bill she sponsored, Senate Bill 5179, which is about reporting complaints to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction when certain policies are not followed by schools. The parental and students' rights legislation now under discussion is tied to a citizen initiative lawmakers approved last year. That measure, Initiative 2081, called for public school materials, such as textbooks, curriculum and a child's medical records, to be easily available for review by parents. It also sought to clear the way for parents to opt their child out of assignments and other activities involving questions about the student's sexual experiences or their family's religious beliefs. Democrats said when Initiative 2081 was approved, they would likely need to clean up some of the language to align with other state and federal laws. But Republicans argue that Democrats are now trying to roll back rights granted to parents in the initiative. Mixed into the debate are arguments over gender and transgender issues in schools. 'This bill continues the war against parents' rights and puts girls at risk at schools,' said Sen. Jim McCune, R-Graham. Senate Bill 5181, the Senate bill on parental rights, is scheduled for a possible committee vote on March 31 in the House Education Committee. Stonier, sponsor of the House bill, is among the committee's members.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fight over parental rights heats up in Washington
The Brief A lot was said in Olympia on Thursday over the topic of parental rights. A senate education committee brought up House Bill 1296, which opponents say undermines parental rights, while supporters argue it will protect the privacy of students. OLYMPIA, Wash. - A lot was said in Olympia on Thursday over the topic of parental rights. The backstory A senate education committee brought up House Bill 1296, which opponents say undermines parental rights, while supporters argue it will protect the privacy of students, especially transgender kids. The ongoing fight over parental rights started with the creation of Initiative 2081, championed by Brian Heywood. I-2081 got enough signatures to make it on the ballot last year, so the legislature went ahead and adopted the parental rights bill into law. It specifically names 15 rights that parents have, including getting access to information about their kids. Heywood's group, Lets Go Washington, says the intent was to diminish confusion and streamline the rules across all school districts. It's about cementing the fact that parents are the primary stakeholder of their kids. The ACLU, along with others, sued, saying the parental rights bill was not constitutional. In the end, the state supreme court sided with Heywood, saying the parental rights bill was legal. Despite that decision, Democrats are moving forward with tweaking the measure this year through HB 1296. They want to remove several rights from parents, including access to automatic healthcare information. The main sponsor of 1296 is Rep. Monica Jurado Stonier of Vancouver, who is also a teacher. She says it's about being gender-inclusive. "There is a lot of science on how gender presents, how sex presents biologically and as we learn more and more about that we just should back up and include every student in a loving and supportive school no matter how they come," Stonier said. Stonier said 'all genders' would be welcomed, which led Republican Senator Jim McCune to ask what that meant. "I am trying to understand the point of your question with the relation to the policy, policy is directed at including every student in the school environment," Stonier said. After that, the committee held a public hearing where many people signed up to speak on both sides. Supporters said it was important for kids, especially transgender students, to be able to get healthcare in privacy. They also say teachers who help should not be afraid of retaliation. "As an organization that is lead by young people, we encompass a range of identities that greatly impact our ability to navigate communities and good communication on those identities especially when it comes to gender expression," Bailey Medilo with The Washington Bus said. Opponents testified, with one woman saying the current conversation over the matter was "absolutely insane." Meanwhile, another speaker with the Eatonville School Board said I-2081 restored confidence back in schools, encouraging more parent involvement. "Unfortunately, since discussion began about repealing the initiative, Eatonville School District has lost nearly 40 students, which is significant in our school district," Ronda Litzenberger said. A previous version of HB 1296 contained a provision that schools did not have to immediately alert parents even if their child was sexually or physically assaulted. After pushback, that language was taken out and schools will now be required to alert parents immediately. The full house has already passed HB 1296, and it is expected to make it to the full Senate floor for a vote. The Source Information in this story is from the Washington State Legislature and FOX 13 Seattle reporting. Top aide for WA Gov. Ferguson resigns over workplace complaints, report Seattle police arrest man accused of more than 20 bank robberies Here's where Seattle renters are relocating Seattle's Capitol Hill Block Party announces 2025 lineup, changes to event Could Bryan Kohberger's autism defense for capital murder set a precedent? To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter. Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national coverage, plus 24/7 streaming coverage from across the nation.
