12 Backlash against SB 5599 led to the Parents Rights Initiative
As a consequence, on June 15, 2023, a group called Let’s Go Washington filed a Parents Rights Initiative (#I-2081) and began collecting signatures. The Initiative requires that parents be kept informed about materials their children are taught in K-12 classrooms and information about medical services public schools provide to their children. On December 12, 2023, the Initiative sponsors turned in 423,399 signatures which was 100,000 more than required.
On February 28, 2024, a joint House and Senate hearing was held on the Parents Rights Initiative. A total of 158 people signed in to testify and 6,477 provided online comments. As with the public comments previous year, over 98% of all comments were in favor of Parents Rights. Combining the two sets of comments, there were more than 11,000 comments in favor of parents rights and opposed to gender transitioning children without the consent or knowledge of their parents. Among those testifying “other” a representative of OSPI agreed that the Parents Rights Initiative did not violate any state or federal law and did not violate either the state or federal constitution. https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2023-24/Pdf/Bill%20Reports/Senate/I2081%20SIB%20EDU%20TA%2024.pdf
Also, no member of the House or Senate claimed that the Parents Rights Initiative might violate a state or federal law or the state or federal constitution. https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=2081&year=2023&initiative=True
Here are a few of the Parents Rights Initiative Pro comments:
“I speak to you as the mother of a child who had a plan for suicide down on paper. Neither her counselor, her teacher, or her administrator told her father and I that she intended to kill herself. We saved our daughter, not the school system.”
The Legislature recently passed laws, including Senate Bill 5599, which eroded parents' rights and endangered children. The initiative will put control back with families, where it belongs. The initiative codifies the rights of parents to raise children without government interference. “
“Families are always a child's first teacher. Engaged parents raise happy and healthy kids. Studies show that when parents are involved and engaged, there is a significant impact on academic success. Schools should reduce barriers to parent and family participation to improve connection, collaboration, and transparency.
There have been numerous examples of teachers talking about sexuality and pronouns, and parents are not given the opportunity to opt their children out of this curriculum even when it goes against their religious and personal beliefs and family core values. The Parents Rights initiative helps assure parents that their rights and responsibilities for their child's well-being does not end at the schoolhouse door.
When an adult tells a child that they will keep secrets from their parents, it is a red flag. Parental rights are being infringed upon and parental preferences have been ignored. Parents are not being allowed to opt out of a curriculum that runs against their beliefs and values. It is important for school districts to listen to the concerns of students, families, staff, and communities.
On March 4, 2024, the Parents Rights Initiative passed in the House 82 to 15 and in the Senate 49 to 0. Crucially, not a single Representative or Senator claimed that the Parents Rights Initiative violated any current law or constitutional provision.
However, just because Senators voted for the bill does not mean they are in favor of Parents Rights. Instead, more than one legislator stated that if they had allowed the Parents Rights Initiative to go before the voters, they would not be able to amend it for TWO YEARS. By voting in favor of the Parents Rights Initiative this year, they can vote to “fix” (repeal or destroy) the Parents Rights Initiative as soon as next year!