A newly filed lawsuit is legally challenging Washington's sweeping overhaul of the state's Parents' Bill of Rights.
The legal challenge was filed by a group of Washington parents, school board members, and educators in Thurston County Superior Court. It argues that House Bill 1296 (HB 1296) essentially strips families of key rights. The law limits what schools are permitted to disclose to parents about their children.
Lawsuit Against Washington's Parents' Bill of Rights Overhaul
On one hand, Democratic lawmakers argue that the bill clarifies what rights parents and students have in public schools, which would protect student privacy while still giving parents access to most records and information of their children.
On the other hand, Paige McElwrath with the Citizen Action Defense Fund, which was the one that filed the lawsuit against the bill, argues that the state's law is unconstitutional. She said that it was less about transgender issues or technology and more about parental rights, given that parents are the primary stakeholders and the outcome of their children, according to My Northwest.
She added that the Washington bill violates not only parents' rights, but also religious freedoms, the single-subject rule in the Washington Constitution, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and federal law.
But supporters of HB 1296 said that the bill will ensure that all students are protected from discrimination and harassment. In a statement, the Washington State Attorney General's Office said that it would work with local agencies to respond to the lawsuit in court.
McElwrath said that the bill's supporters are "going to divert attention away from the many constitutional violations in the bill." She added that the state does not have the right to interfere in how parents elect to raise their children, The Center Square reported.
A Parent's Right To Know
A Kennewick School Board member, Gabe Galbraith, who is a father of three kids, said that they are being told not to share information that parents have a right to know. He argued that this is not education but interference in the family.
The lawsuit comes as Democratic officials themselves are looking to change the Washington bill amid disagreements over what the changes would mean for families and schools. Republican lawmakers and those who supported Initiative 2081 last spring say that the proposal this year will roll back the rights granted to parents in the initiative.
On the other hand, Democratic lawmakers claim that Senate Bill 5181 will clean up wording in the initiative to align them with state and federal law, as per the Washington State Standard.
Originally published on parentherald.com
