Washington's parents' rights initiative continues to trail
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Washington's Initiative 001, a measure aimed at expanding what schools must tell parents about their children's counseling and medical care, continued to trail in election results Wednesday.
Why it matters: The measure would reverse changes Washington state lawmakers made last year to a "parents' bill of rights" the Legislature passed in 2024.
The latest: I-001 was receiving roughly 47.4% support as of Wednesday evening, with about 52.6% voting against it, according to the secretary of state's office.
- More ballots are set to be counted in the vote-by-mail election in the coming days.
Zoom in: I-001 would guarantee several rights concerning parents' access to information about their children's education.
- Many of those rights — such as the ability to inspect curriculum materials, attendance records and academic records — are already available under state law, which says parents can "review all education records of the student."
Yes, but: I-001 would require schools to produce those records more quickly — within 10 business days instead of 45.
- The measure specifically lists mental health counseling records among the school records parents could access.
Separately, I-001 would require schools to notify parents before offering nonemergency medical services, or if schools help arrange medical treatment that requires follow-up after hours.
Flashback: The Legislature passed the same measure into law two years ago, when it was called Initiative 2081.
- But state lawmakers amended the initiative last year, including by removing the medical-service notification requirements.
- Democratic lawmakers said at the time that the notification requirements conflicted with other state laws protecting students' medical privacy.
The big picture: Supporters of I-001 argued that parents should know what is going on with their child at school, including if they have come out as transgender or are using a new name or different pronouns.
- Opponents said students who are struggling with sensitive issues — such as gender identity, depression or sexual abuse — may not seek help at school if they think the information will be relayed back to parents.
- Opponents also argued that I-001 would weaken protections for children who report parental abuse.
What's next: Election officials are expected to release additional results Thursday.
Editor's note: This is a developing story and will be updated.