By Cindy Alia
3/11/25
HB 1296 Promoting a safe and supportive public education system.
SPONSORS Stonier, Macri, Lekanoff, Doglio, Berry, Salahuddin, Davis, Ramel, Obras, Reed, Ormsby, Scott, Nance, Bergquist, Fitzgibbon, Parshley, Alvarado, Kloba, Pollet, Peterson, Fey, Simmons, Hill, Fosse
Signed by these Committee Chairs: Signed by Representatives Santos, Chair; Shavers, Vice Chair; Bergquist, Callan, Donaghy, Ortiz-Self, Pollet, Reeves, Scott, and Stonier.
These people who are elected to positions in the house of representatives in the Washington State Legislature want you to think Substitute Bill 1296 will make your public school children safe and supported. However, they do not think support from a child’s parents or legal guardians is safe or supportive.
This bill is an anti-initiative bill resulting from Legislation enacted in 2024 because of the overwhelming passage of Initiative Measure No. 2081. Concerning parental rights relating to their children's public school education. It can be easily said the huge success of the initiative was directly proportional to the dis-satisfaction of parents, grandparents, and other people of the state seeking a change in policy for public education.
In the brief summary of SHB 1296, the following is barely described, the bill:
Requires policies and procedures of school districts, charter schools, and state-tribal education compact schools (STECs) to prioritize the protection of every student's safety, access to a free public education, and
privacy.
Makes changes to delineated rights of parents and legal guardians of public school children.
Establishes a statement of student rights and associated duties for school districts, charter schools, and STECs.
Establishes antiretaliation protections for public school employees supporting students in the exercise of their legal rights.
Read the complete bill summary, including changes due to the substitute bill here, and public testimony here. Please note the bill has eliminated the protections Initiative 2081 established by the will of the people of the state:
These following parental rights are eliminated in the bill:
Eliminated Rights.
Examples of eliminated rights include the right to:
receive prior notification when medical services are being offered to their child,
except where emergency medical treatment is required;
receive notification when any medical service or medications have been provided to
their child that could result in any financial impact to the parent's or legal guardian's
health insurance payments or copays; and
receive notification when the school has arranged directly or indirectly for medical
treatment that results in follow-up care beyond normal school hours.
This bill that embodies the lunacy of the public education system in Washington state is on the House of Representative Floor Calendar on this final day before cut-off for bills to be passed out of the house of origin.
At this writing, the bill has a burden of 128 floor amendments proving that not all elected representatives in the house have chosen the path followed by the bill sponsors and supporters to undermine education and parental rights. We shall see if the powers that be are dismissive or respectful of the proposed amendments to the bill.
The bill, if passed by the house today must also go through legislative procedure in the Senate.
March 12, 2025