Fight over parental rights heats up in WA

Debate over parental rights in WA

A lot was said in Olympia on Thursday over the topic of parental rights.

OLYMPIA, Wash. - A lot was said in Olympia on Thursday over the topic of parental rights.

The backstory:

A senate education committee brought up House Bill 1296, which opponents say undermines parental rights, while supporters argue it will protect the privacy of students, especially transgender kids.

The ongoing fight over parental rights started with the creation of Initiative 2081, championed by Brian Heywood.

I-2081 got enough signatures to make it on the ballot last year, so the legislature went ahead and adopted the parental rights bill into law.

It specifically names 15 rights that parents have, including getting access to information about their kids.

Heywood’s group, Lets Go Washington, says the intent was to diminish confusion and streamline the rules across all school districts. It’s about cementing the fact that parents are the primary stakeholder of their kids.

The ACLU, along with others, sued, saying the parental rights bill was not constitutional.

In the end, the state supreme court sided with Heywood, saying the parental rights bill was legal.

Despite that decision, Democrats are moving forward with tweaking the measure this year through HB 1296.

They want to remove several rights from parents, including access to automatic healthcare information.

The main sponsor of 1296 is Rep. Monica Jurado Stonier of Vancouver, who is also a teacher. She says it’s about being gender-inclusive.

"There is a lot of science on how gender presents, how sex presents biologically and as we learn more and more about that we just should back up and include every student in a loving and supportive school no matter how they come," Stonier said.

Stonier said ‘all genders’ would be welcomed, which led Republican Senator Jim McCune to ask what that meant.

"I am trying to understand the point of your question with the relation to the policy, policy is directed at including every student in the school environment," Stonier said.

After that, the committee held a public hearing where many people signed up to speak on both sides.

Supporters said it was important for kids, especially transgender students, to be able to get healthcare in privacy. They also say teachers who help should not be afraid of retaliation.

"As an organization that is lead by young people, we encompass a range of identities that greatly impact our ability to navigate communities and good communication on those identities especially when it comes to gender expression," Bailey Medilo with The Washington Bus said.

Opponents testified, with one woman saying the current conversation over the matter was "absolutely insane."

Meanwhile, another speaker with the Eatonville School Board said I-2081 restored confidence back in schools, encouraging more parent involvement.

"Unfortunately, since discussion began about repealing the initiative, Eatonville School District has lost nearly 40 students, which is significant in our school district," Ronda Litzenberger said.

A previous version of HB 1296 contained a provision that schools did not have to immediately alert parents even if their child was sexually or physically assaulted.

After pushback, that language was taken out and schools will now be required to alert parents immediately.

The full house has already passed HB 1296, and it is expected to make it to the full Senate floor for a vote.

The Source: Information in this story is from the Washington State Legislature and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.