*UPDATE* This bill is now scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee on February 1, 2023. Click the button below to sign in PRO to voice your support for this bill.
Over the last couple decades we have seen the left slowly chip away at our parental rights. This effort has been fast-tracked over the last few years and gotten more aggressive especially during and after Covid. In response, massive numbers of parents have awakened to the reality of the radical left’s anti-parent agenda and are rising up to fight back and protect our children and families.
Parents have been calling on Republican leaders to pass legislation that would protect and/or restore parental rights. We have seen huge wins on this front over the last year in states like Florida, where Governor Ron DeSantis has made it a top priority to protect parental rights and protect children from leftist indoctrination.
Here in Washington, Senator Perry Dozier of Walla Walla has sponsored a Parents Bill of Rights related to their child’s education in public schools. We have seen the public schools – led by the state OSPI – intentionally cut parents out of the education process and bring policies and programs into the schools that are anti-parent and anti-family.
This bill would require all public schools to post their reading and mathematics results of the national assessment of educational progress by state and school district if available and the English language arts and mathematics results of the smarter balanced assessments (SBA) or any other statewide student assessment. These assessment results would be required to be posted on the district’s website homepage or landing page.
In addition, the bill gives parents of students receiving public school education the right to have access to what their children are being taught in school, giving access to classroom activities and lessons and other school-sponsored activities. It would also provide parents rights to access curricula and materials used for instruction. The bill also gives parents the right to know who is teaching their students. For instance, if a teacher brings in a guest speaker, parents would have a right to be informed and if desired, opt their child out of the teaching.
This bill would also bring increased transparency to school board meetings, requiring Washington State School Director’s Association (WSSDA) to update their policies and procedures to provide for more public observation and participation. Part of this process would include an audio or video recording of the meeting that would be available for six months. This policy would be maintained on the WSSDA website at no additional cost to school districts (no additional cost to taxpayers).
SB-5024 is a great step in the right direction to restoring parental rights in Washington state. The democrats have decimated our rights over the years and it will take time and perseverance to fully undo the damage. We must champion bills like this one and support our lawmakers who are working hard on our behalf.
You can email the chair of the Senate Early Learning & K12 Education Committee, Lisa Wellman, and let her know you support this bill and request her to give it a hearing – lisa.wellman@wa.leg.gov
You can also send an email to the sponsor of this bill, Senator Perry Dozier, and let him know you support this bill and thank him for his efforts and fight for parents! Perry.dozier@wa.leg.gov
Check back on this page for updates on this bill.
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