After a long debate Wednesday afternoon, the Senate approved changes to the standards outlined in Initiative 2018 from 2024. The amendments, which included removing parental notice of medical services or treatments for their children, were passed on a party-line vote.
||| FROM ALBERT JAMES for OLYMPIA NEWS BUREAU |||
OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Washington State Senate passed a bill making changes to the parents rights in education passed through the initiative process in 2024. Democrats argued the changes were needed to align the initiative with other statutes, while Republicans saw the changes as a rollback of the law.
Senate Bill 5181 passed on a party-line vote of 30-19 Wednesday afternoon. The billfollows up on Initiative 2081, which passed by a wide bipartisan margin by the legislature last year.
The initiative outlined 15 specific rights to parents relating to their child’s public school education, including access to student records and the ability to review classroom curriculum.
“We said from day one, that if it brought confusion and if clarity was needed, that we would return and make changes, and that’s what brings us to the floor of the senatehere today,” said State Senator Claire Wilson (D-Federal Way), prime sponsor of thebill.
“It’s not a cleanup bill, it’s an overhaul bill,” said State Sen. Perry Dozier (R-Waitsburg) “What was in there that the parents wanted in 2018, was totally changed.”
Among the changes proposed in the bill, provisions are removed requiring notice when a child gets non-emergency medical services or treatment at school. Democrats argued it protects the established rights of young people to make their own health care decisions.
“That makes updates on protecting the healthy privacy of students, aligning the definition of health records for consistency. And protecting student rights that are given to them already under existing state laws,” Wilson said.
However, Republicans believed the changes put the state in the middle of the relationship between a parent and a child.
Senate Minority Leader John Braun (R-Centralia) said it does not make sense for schools to keep health information from parents who see their children for most of the day.
“How can we be so confident that the school districts can take care of this without telling the parents this is going on, enlisting their support, making sure the child has the necessary resources – not just in the classroom, but for the balance of their lives,” he said.
The bill initially changed standards around immediately notifying parents of when their child is questioned by police, or if their child is the victim of – or perpetrated – a crime. Notifications were required “at the first opportunity, but in all cases within 48 hours” under the first version of the bill.
Wilson said the intent of the change was to always give parents prompt information, while recognizing that some situations require a bit of time before notifications can be made. However, the bill was ultimately amended to retain the “immediate” standard.
“It is broad enough to allow a teacher to take a little time as necessary to ensure that all of his or her students are safe before providing prompt notification to the parents of an incident involving a specific student,” Wilson said.
How fast the bill could move through the House is unclear. Speaker Laurie Jinkins (D-Tacoma) previously said there are a lot of House bills her chamber has to get through before considering any legislation from the Senate.
Similar legislation in the House includes many of the same provisions, and goes further in outlining the rights of students. Though it still has the 48-hour notification stipulationfor parents of children who are victims of crime or questioned by police. That bill is awaiting a vote on the House floor.
Albert James is a television reporter covering state government as part of the Murrow News Fellowship program – a collaborative effort between news outlets statewide and Washington State University.
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This is a joke! How are “US PARENTS” to know how to provide better care for our children if we aren’t allowed to know anything? How can we protect them? I didn’t agree with the law/bill that passed a couple years ago about after a child is 12 that, us parents need to have their permission in order to have doctors, mental health and other medical information shared with the parents. like are you serious? MOST 12 year olds don’t even know how to talk to anyone let alone protect themselves. It should always be us parents right to know ANYTHING/EVERYTHING about our children until they are considered a adult 18/21 whichever you want to look at it. Because in REALITY “US PARENTS” are solely responsible for them until then. This is outrageous and so ridiculous it makes me sick. Even the juvenile center is a joke. Back in my days, if I was doing what some of these kids were doing I would end my ass up in the juvenile hall/jail with charges. Now a days they barely do anything, not just to the juveniles but also for the parents who has a child with behavioral/mental/illness issues ETC.. How can I fully help my child if I don’t and can’t FULLY KNOW what’s going on!!!!!!???? Washington State is a JOKE! Ya’ll are making criminals and it’s all your fault. Why can’t everyone in this state vote to agree or disagree with this instead of just the house/Senate/legislator or whatever you want to call it.
This is how you correct a bad bill, to say you’ll do your best to notify parents faster about crime on children but certainly, or maybe they will notify parents in 48 hours? This is criminal in itself and and the Senate is an accessory. Children do not have the capacity to make choices like this on their own. WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING IN OLYMPIA,
Parents: This is what happens when you continually elect a party that does things TO you, instead of FOR you. Enjoy having your “inalienable rights “ modified by the democrat party as THEY see fit.