WA parental, students’ rights debate continues as bills enter final stage

SEATTLE – Lawmakers spent weeks engaged in fierce debate over how to best balance student privacy and parental rights after Democrats sought changes to a 2024 Republican-backed initiative commonly known as the Parents’ Bill of Rights.

Democrats say a parental rights initiative passed by the Legislature last year has caused widespread confusion among school districts that are struggling to implement the “broad language.” Republicans say the initiative is a vital component of restoring parents’ trust in the public school system.

Two Democrat-sponsored bills that modify the initiative continue to move toward the governor’s desk despite repeated objections from Republican lawmakers. Throughout the session, the debate has developed into a broader discussion of Washington’s public school policies around inclusive learning environments and students’ access to mental health care.

In addition to modifying the initiative, Democrats are taking the opportunity to direct the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and local school boards to prioritize students’ right to privacy, safety and a learning environment free of discrimination. The effort comes as the Trump administration has threatened to pull federal funding from schools with diversity, equity and inclusion programs alongside a slew of actions targeting transgender people and “gender ideology.”

Here are some common questions about the Parents’ Bill of Rights:

What is the Parents’ Bill of Rights?

Initiative 2081, also known as the Parents’ Bill of Rights, delineated 15 rights for parents and guardians of public school children. These included the right to be notified of certain safety, academic, medical and law enforcement matters and the right to examine and request specific records and educational materials.

The initiative was sponsored by conservative millionaire Brian Heywood and his advocacy group Let’s Go Washington. More than 448,000 Washingtonians signed the petition. When the initiative came before the Legislature in 2024, Democrats raised concerns that the bill’s “broad language” might cause confusion among school districts or be used to target LGBTQ+ students.

But the Democrat-controlled Legislature ultimately passed the measure as written and vowed to take further legislative action if necessary.

What are the bills this session proposing?

House Bill 1296 and Senate Bill 5181 propose modifying parts of Initiative 2081 by adding, removing and altering certain rights.

Proposed changes in both bills include removing notification about medical treatment provided in schools and changing the term “public school records” to “education records.” The bill clarifies that the disclosure of health care information is controlled by other parts of state law, not the Parents’ Bill of Rights.

Lawmakers have also engaged in extensive discussion about the timeline at which parents should be notified about on-campus events, including if their child is the alleged victim of a crime or is removed from campus without authorization.

While the Senate bill focuses only on changes to the initiative, the House bill is wider in scope. In addition to its section modifying the Parents’ Bill of Rights, it establishes a students’ bill of rights, anti-retaliation protections for public school employees and a new process for OSPI to review “willful noncompliance” with state laws.

The Senate and House bills saw significant debate before being sent out to the other chamber.

What changes have been made?

The House adopted amendments to the Senate bill, including one that would require school districts to publish a list of medical and mental health services available to students without the consent of a parent or guardian. Other amendments focused on restoring or modifying the timeline in which parents are notified about certain events on campus involving their child or receiving copies of records.

Republicans have advocated to remove the emergency clause from both bills in order to make them eligible for referendum. While Republicans advocated to remove the emergency clause on the House floor, Democrats invoked a new rule that allows them to end debate with a simple majority vote.

Senate Bill 5181 passed off the House floor Monday along a 56-39 vote with one Democrat voting in opposition.

Lawmakers in the Senate made significant additions to House Bill 1296, by establishing a new process for OSPI to review complaints of “willful noncompliance” with state laws concerning students’ civil rights, privacy and health.

OSPI is charged with developing a system to review those complaints alleging noncompliance. The office is responsible for investigating complaints and providing guidance if a school is found in violation of state law. If a school does not respond to multiple warnings and corrective recommendations, OSPI may withhold and redirect up to 20% of the school district’s state funding to address the issue.

House Bill 1296 passed off the Senate floor Saturday along a party-line vote.

What comes next?

Democrats will need to decide which bill will serve as the vehicle for changing the parental rights initiative before the session ends on April 27. The House bill is back in the House and the Senate bill is back in the Senate for lawmakers to review the changes made by the opposite chamber.

If lawmakers choose to accept the opposite chamber’s amendments, the bill is ready to be sent to the governor. If not, there are additional negotiation processes that can take place until the end of the session.

Heywood has vowed to fight if any changes to his original initiative pass into law. He has filed multiple pre-emptive initiatives to repeal either the House or Senate bill.