This week my “change” quote connects to the incredible resource you have in your schools–the students, families, and staff who are a part of your school community. You all come together each day to create a shared culture with systems of support focused on learning. This is hard but important work and it was on my mind as one of the big issues addressed in the Legislature this week pertained to the Parents’ Bill of Rights.

If you recall, a Parents’ Bill of Rights initiative was brought to the Legislature last spring and was passed by both the House and Senate. Much of the language in that initiative was already aligned with current state law, but there were sections that were unclear. Democrats in both the House and the Senate introduced bills (HB 1296/SB 5181) to clarify the language with other parts of state law. For a more thorough description of these bills, check out this recent article from the Washington State Standard.

We were contacted by the Seattle Times regarding an amendment related to notifying parents if their child is involved in, or is a victim of, a crime. We sent a statement to them that was published in this article that said, “If a situation like this happened at school, law enforcement would be contacted and we would adhere to the timeline needed for an investigation per law enforcement directive. School principals cannot interfere with ongoing police investigations. Our role is to support the child and at the first opportunity, we would contact the parents.”

Both bills are still working their way through the Legislature. They are slightly different bills and at some point for them to pass as law, both chambers will need to agree on the language. I’ll keep following them closely and if you have any questions, please reach out.

In addition to the bills heard this week in the education committees, the House Appropriations Committee heard HB 1404 on free meals and HB 1338 on increased funding for MSOC. Next week will be the last big push to hear policy bills and then committees will spend their time getting bills through executive session (or not), to move them onto fiscal committees. As you might have noticed, neither the House nor the Senate will be hearing bills related to requiring districts to have policies limiting cell phones in schools. Both chairs believe that this is already something that districts can do as many have already done. Policy committees have until February 21 to pass their bills. The fiscal committee cut-off for bills is February 28.

Soon my tracking list will get shorter, but for now you can see it all here listed by priority and here listed by issue.

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Day on the Hill

Many of our Advocacy Advisory Council and AWSP Board Members are planning a visit to Olympia on February 10, 2025 for our annual “Day on the Hill." They will be meeting with their own legislators and perhaps attending some committee hearings. You can get involved by scheduling a virtual meeting with your own legislators that week. More information will be coming soon.

Get Involved

Many thanks for all that you do for students and staff. If you have questions or comments or want to get involved, please reach out to me.

Thank you so much!