14 State Superintendent Reykdal blocks Parents Rights Initiative
On June 5, 2024, Washington State Superintendent Chris Reykdal, issued a shocking last minute press release in which he advised school districts to ignore the Parents Rights Initiative. Contrary to OSPI testimony in February 2024, Reykdal now claims that certain provisions of the Parents Rights Initiative are in conflict with unspecified state and federal laws.
This is likely the first time in our state history that any state officer has asked school districts to ignore any state law. It is likely that Reykdal has no authority to advise school districts to ignore state law. It is also likely that Reykdal violated his Oath of Office in making this statement. While judges have the authority to put a law on hold while they review it, no one in the Executive Branch of state government has the authority to violate a law – even if it is a law that they do not personally agree with.
Washington Policy Center’s Liv Finne stated: “Superintendent Reykdal has crowned himself Supreme Ruler of Education Policy in Washington State. Above the people, the legislature and now the courts.”
Here is a link to Reykdal’s statement so you can read it yourself: https://ospi.k12.wa.us/about-ospi/news-center/news-releases-and-stories/washingtons-public-schools-will-continue-protect-student-privacy-and-safety
Why did Reykdal Block the Parents Rights Initiative?
One of the key provisions of the Parents Rights Initiative is that school districts would be required to tell parents about children who were being given gender transition treatments without the parents consent. Due to SB 5599, this disgusting form of extreme child abuse has been occurring in Middle Schools and High Schools in Seattle since July 2023. The services offered for children as young as 10 years old include “gender-altering medications (estrogen, androgen blockers, testosterone, etc.) and injection techniques,” “hormone therapy” and “referrals for gender surgeries.”
https://defendinged.org/incidents/seattle-public-schools-school-based-health-centers-offer-middle-and-high-school-students-access-to-gender-affirming-care-that-includes-hormone-therapy-and-referrals-for-surgeries/
Seattle Public Schools’ “Gender-Inclusive Schools: Transgender and Gender-Expansive Student Rights and Supports” (Policy 3211) states that “staff should not disclose a student’s transgender status to others unless (1) legally required to do so or (2) the student has authorized disclosure.” When “contacting the parents/guardians of a transgender student and it is unclear whether the student asserts the same gender identity at home, it is best practice to avoid using gender pronouns.”
Because the above Seattle School District policy is to actively hide the status of children from their parents, it is currently not known how many children in the Seattle School district are being subjected to gender mutilation without the knowledge or consent of their parents. But had Reykdal not issued his last minute block of the Parents Rights Initiative, at least some of these gender mutilation cases might have been exposed. Thus, the purpose of Reykdal’s statement was to give the Seattle School District an excuse to continue to keep this crime hidden from parents.
