(The Center Square) – Supporters of a citizen initiative approved by Washington state lawmakers last year to provide a parents’ bill of rights secured a significant legal victory on Friday.
A judge in King County Superior Court granted a motion for summary judgment in favor of Initiative 2081, denying the plaintiff’s requests with prejudice. This means that the case is dismissed permanently and cannot be brought back to court.
I-2081 provides parents with a right to review educational materials, receive certain notifications, and opt out of sexual health education.
The victory is bittersweet for I-2081 supporters, as majority party Democrats in Olympia are pushing House Bill 1296 this session, which would undo nearly all of the provisions guaranteed to parents by the 2024 measure.
“Your Legislature doesn’t give a f—–g s–t about your voice,” said Pete Serrano, founder and general counsel of the Silent Majority Foundation, which intervened to protect I-2081 on behalf of Let’s Go Washington, Informed Choice Washington, and One Washington, as the initiative wound its way through court.
In a Monday interview with The Center Square, Serrano said that despite hundreds of thousands of Washingtonians signing petitions for the initiative, lawmakers passing it into law, and last week’s court ruling, Democrats are “determined” to undermine the people’s will.
“Every single level has protected the people’s rights, and the Legislature says, ‘Eff you citizen, I don’t care what your thoughts are,’” Serrano said.
Rep. Travis Couture, R-Allyn, who sits on the House Education Committee that heard HB 1296 last week, told The Center Square he is equally frustrated to see I-2081 ignored.
“At the end of the day, they can pass this bill, and the whole thing goes away, and that was their plan all along,” he said. “Pass it off the floor so it didn’t hurt them at the ballot and they could come back and erase it later.”
Couture was referring to Democrats’ willingness to pass I-2081 and two other citizen initiatives – lifting restrictions on police vehicle pursuits and prohibiting income taxes – during the 2024 session rather than allow them to appear on the November ballot.
“What gives a school or teacher the right to hide anything they want, including critical information about my kids from me, their parent?” asked Couture. “If my child told me another adult told me to hide something from you, that would mean immediate danger.”
Supporters of HB 1296 say the legislation is designed to “promote a safe and supportive school system by addressing student rights, parental/guardian rights, employee protections, and requirements for state and local school districts,” as reported by The Center Square.
During a public hearing on the bill last week, high school senior Albert Johnson told lawmakers trans youth are at greater risk of suicide and self-harm.
“I came out to my friends and advisors at school, a year before I came out to my parents,” Johnson said. “I wanted to take time to explore myself and my identity, an experience every trans person deserves to have.”
Rep. Couture said he believes the majority of Democrats will use a controversial rule passed on Friday to cut off floor debate on HB 1296.
“Washington State House Democrats passed House Resolution 4607, eliminating a 132-year-old rule enacted in 1893 that guaranteed free and open debate on the House floor. By a 54-33 vote, Democrats lowered the two-thirds threshold required to end debate and vote on bills down to a simple majority.
This allows the majority party to avoid debate and silence the voice of the minority, according to House Republicans.
“In this bill, they will use their new House rule to cut off debate of the minority party,” Couture said. “They just cut off debate with a 50% bare majority and silence the voices of over 3 million people in this state.”
Serrano said he’s hopeful Washingtonians who supported I-2081 will lobby lawmakers and show up in Olympia.
“It can’t be play nice guys,” he said. “Millions of dollars were spent to protect your rights, and we did it successfully by public pressure and now this?” I hate to sound dire, but that’s kind of where we are.”
The Center Square reached out to Rep. Monica Stonier, D-Vancouver, the sponsor of HB 1296, for comment on last week’s court ruling upholding the Parental Bill of Rights but did not get a response.
The bill is scheduled for executive session in the House Education Committee at 8 a.m. on Jan. 30.