WASHINGTON — Washington voters will decide this election season whether schools should be required to share more information with parents — and do it faster. Some argue the measure would improve transparency, while others worry it could have unintended consequences for students.
Initiative IL26-001 would expand parental access to school records and accelerate the timeline for schools to provide that information. Currently, parents can access their child’s academic records, but the initiative would extend that right to health and counseling information as well.
Under the proposal, schools would have 10 days to turn over requested records, compared to the current 45-day requirement.
The initiative isn’t new. It was originally passed in 2024, but changes have been made since then. The initiative on the ballot this fall would restore the original language.
Conservative political group Let’s Go Washington is one of the initiative’s main supporters. Brian Heywood, the organization’s founder, said the current laws don’t guarantee that parents receive essential information.
“Why would we think that it’s OK to keep secrets from parents, who are biologically designed to love and take care of and help their children, as opposed to some disinterested adult that may or may not have an agenda at school?” said Brian Heywood, founder of Let’s Go Washington.
However, critics raise concerns about the measure’s potential consequences. They worry that requiring schools to disclose counseling or mental health information could put LGBTQ youth at risk or endanger children in abusive situations.
Jaime Fineman-McKinney, a school counselor from Tacoma, said students benefit from the confidentiality counselors can provide.
“I have to ask myself, ‘Who exactly is asking for this initiative in the first place?’ Because I’m not asking for it, parents aren’t asking for it, school counselors aren’t asking for it,” Fineman-McKinney said in a news conference.
The initiative includes some exceptions for what information schools are required to share with parents if there is suspected child abuse.
Governor Bob Ferguson has also weighed in on the issue. He said he opposes the initiative, arguing the language is too vague and pointing to a section on crime in schools.
The current law says parents should “receive immediate notification upon receipt of a report that their child is alleged to be the victim, target, or recipient of physical or sexual abuse, sexual misconduct, or assault by a school employee or school contractor.”
Meanwhile, the new initiative says says parents should be notified if a crime is “deemed to have been committed against their child or by their child.” Ferguson argues that language leaves parental rights up for interpretation.
“This initiative — 001 — no matter how hard the other side tries to spin it, actually weakens, it actually weakens existing laws by removing parents’ rights,” Ferguson said in a news conference.
If voters approve the initiative, the state legislature would be unable to modify the law for two years following its passage.
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