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WA Gov. Ferguson joins in opposition to ‘parental rights’ initiative
Legislators and activists are at a crossroads over the so-called "Parental Rights Bill." Supporters of Initiative 001 say parents should always be notified if their kids have important health or medical information. Opponents say there are several red flags in the text, and joining the opposition is Washington Governor Bob Ferguson.
SEATTLE - A political clash over parental rights in public education intensified as Governor Ferguson voiced his opposition against a voter initiative on Thursday.
During a press conference, opponents raised multiple red flags of Initiative 001, saying it will weaken parental rights, not strengthen them.
What is WA's Initiative 001?
What they're saying:
Supporters say the parental rights measures under Initiative 001 will streamline and compel schools to provide medical, counseling and instructional information to parents in a timely manner.
"I'm speaking partly as a governor, of course, but also as a father of two teenagers," Ferguson said.
The governor says Initiative 001 would undermine existing rules to protect children.
"As an example, to be merely notified — just to be clear, removes parents' right to be merely notified — when their child is a victim of a crime at school," Ferguson said.
Joining Ferguson, Sen. John Lovick, D-Mill Creek, called the measure "the most anti-parent rights initiative I think we'll ever see." Lovick warned that the initiative's language regarding school records could expose vulnerable students to abusive guardians.
"To have that parent have the ability to go to the school and get the records, your records, that is just unbelievable," Lovick said.
The other side:
Brian Heywood, founder of Let's Go Washington, says all of those claims are false.
"The arrogance of this press conference and of what they're saying is breathtaking," Heywood said. "Everything they said was not true."
FOX 13 Seattle’s review of the measure's text addresses the specific point made by Lovick and the text conflicts with Lovick’s claims.
Regarding student records during abuse inquiries, page three of Initiative 001 explicitly restricts access for parents under investigation:
"A public school shall not be required to release any records or information regarding a student's medical or health records or mental counseling records to a parent during the pendency of an investigation of child abuse or neglect conducted by any law enforcement agency or Department of Children, Youth and Families where the parent is the target of the investigation, unless the parent has obtained a court order."
Addressing the governor's claims regarding crime notifications, representatives from Let's Go Washington maintained that school administrators would be required to immediately notify parents if a crime is committed against or by their child at school.
But they say Initiative 001 takes it even further.
"Current law requires notification when the school receives a report alleging a crime against the child on school property, during the school day, or during a school-sponsored activity. I-001 removes those location and time restrictions and extends the provision to criminal acts committed either against or by the child."
Heywood also says current rules fail to guarantee prompt communication with families, especially when it comes to potentially harmful situations. He gave suicidal ideation as an example, saying parents should be alerted if their child expresses any thoughts of harming themself.
"I think that there's good teachers and good administrators that do that, but their law doesn't require that," Heywood said. "Their law actually says that parents don't have a right to know for at least 10 days."
WA legislators spar over Initiative 001 language
Rep Monica Stonier says the other side is pushing a false narrative.
"That teachers and counselors were hiding information from parents," Stonier said.
Stonier, who is a school administrator, also spoke on Thursday, lobbying voters not to support Initiative 001.
Another point of debate is how much information parents should have in cases where kids talk to counselors about gender identity, gender-affirming care and other mental health issues.
Opponents of Initiative 001 believe it will take away the student’s privacy and space to talk to a school administrator if they don’t feel comfortable talking to family members.
Heywood says he’s baffled at the assumption that parents would be harmful to their own child who may be going through those issues.
He claims the government should not have more power than their parents to be there for their child.
Voters will decide the fate of Initiative 001 in November as both sides continue campaigning across the state.
Initiative 001 is a culmination of the fallout over Initiative 2081, which is the original parental rights bill.
It was pushed by Heywood and adopted into law by the legislature in 2024. But then, Democrats went back and changed I-2081, leading to the current fight by Heywood to restore the language of 2081 through Initiative 001.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle anchor Hana Kim, as well as previous coverage from FOX 13 Seattle.