Republican lawmakers unanimously opposed Democrat State Senators' overhaul of the citizens’ initiative on parental rights in education during a hearing at the State Capitol Wednesday afternoon. Majority Democrats adopting new legislation that will remove key parental notification rights. All Republicans voted against any changes.
Democrats said the new legislation (SB 5181) was needed to clarify confusion about a parents right to be informed about their child’s education and what goes on at schools.
7th District Senator Shelly Short gave a passionate plea to not erode transparent communication between a school, student and their parent.
"We had a situation where a family member was having difficulty and was going through suicidal thoughts, and I'm so grateful that our child called us, she called us because she trusted us," Short said on the Senate floor at the State Capitol Wednesday afternoon. "This bill is an overarching limit on all parents."
"Parents care, they need to know and not when the school feels like it's appropriate to let them know, they should let that parent know," said 12th District Sen. Keith Goehner, a former teacher and school board member. "The school does not know what's going on in that home. Notifying and staying in contact with the parents and making sure those kids are being held accountable and responsible. And that's how you get better test scores, by involving the parents and making sure the school staff is committed to the success of that child."
"Parents in general have a right, have a right to know what's going on in their child's life, good, bad or indifferent," added Short. "And the State of Washington is getting inappropriately in the middle of that."
SB 5181 was adopted on a party line 30-19 vote. The Senate proposal will now be considered by the Democrat controlled Washington State House of Representatives.
Learn more about SB 5181 here.
Comments