In a move that has inflamed partisan tensions, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson (D) signed House Bill 1296 into law, directly challenging the parental rights established by Initiative 2081—a measure that was approved by voters just last year. The new legislation, which was signed on Tuesday, has triggered a fierce backlash from Republican lawmakers, parent advocacy groups, and conservative commentators nationwide.
Initiative 2081 was designed to empower parents with 15 distinct rights concerning their children's education and welfare in public schools. It mandated timely notifications about academic progress, medical issues, safety concerns, and law enforcement interactions. Furthermore, the initiative assured parents access to their children's educational and medical records.
However, the recently passed HB 1296, advocated by the Democratic-majority Legislature, significantly rolls back these protections. Among the contentious changes, the bill allows schools to withhold information from parents regarding their children's well-being and entirely denies parental access to medical and mental health records provided by school-employed government workers.
One of the most divisive provisions of the bill enables schools to delay parent notifications for up to two days in cases where a child has been a victim of a crime or sexual assault on campus. The legislation also introduces complex legal barriers that parents must navigate to assert their rights under the original initiative. Moreover, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) now holds increased power to impose penalties on school districts that do not adhere to the new regulations.
The bill's passage was marked by a strict party-line division, with all Republicans casting votes in opposition. Representative Travis Couture (R-Allyn) decried the legislation as "a slap in the face to democracy." He highlighted a worrisome trend of sexual misconduct in schools and condemned Democrats for reversing a previously supported measure. Couture's proposed amendment for immediate parental notification in cases of sexual abuse by a school employee was rejected by the Democratic legislators.
Let's Go Washington, the citizen-led organization that championed the original initiative, has expressed its vehement disapproval of the new law. The group's founder, Brian Heywood, condemned the action on The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI, asserting, "This is a direct assault on parents and a damnation of Governor Ferguson’s claim to be a moderate for Washingtonians." He pledged a robust effort to overturn the legislation.
The controversy has not gone unnoticed beyond state lines. Texas Senator Ted Cruz (R) took to Twitter, labeling the legislative changes as "utterly insane," and former President Donald Trump criticized the decision on Truth Social, framing it as a refusal by Washington State Democrats to inform parents of sexual abuse by a school employee.
Before Initiative 2081 came into effect in June, it faced legal challenges, including a lawsuit by the ACLU and other groups. They argued that the initiative's language was overly broad and could potentially harm marginalized youth. Although the lawsuit was dismissed, the opposition from civil rights organizations persists.
As Washington State grapples with the implications of HB 1296, the contentious debate over parental rights, school transparency, and student safety shows no signs of abating.
