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GOP leaders say proposed changes to parents' bill of rights would delay notification, remove enforcement
Summary
Sen. John Braun and Rep. Chris Corey told reporters a revision being considered would delay some parental notifications and eliminate a private right of action, which they said would weaken enforcement of the parents' initiative passed last year.
Republican leaders criticized proposed legislative changes to the parents' bill of rights, saying the revisions would meaningfully alter the initiative voters approved. Rep. Chris Corey and Sen. John Braun said the most consequential changes include delaying the timing of notifications to parents in some cases and removing a private right of action that would let parents sue or enforce compliance.
"It delays the time to notify parents of certain things in the school and then eliminates the requirement to notify parents when there's medical issues," Sen. Braun said, explaining why he believes the language would change the initiative's effect. He said removing the private right of action would "remove the ability of parents to enforce essentially the law."
Rep. Corey defended the original initiative as drafted to comply with state law and criticized the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) for earlier refusal to enforce it; he pointed to court rulings that upheld the initiative. Reporters asked for examples of where new language differs; Braun cited notification timing and enforcement mechanism as two specific instances.
Republicans said they would continue to press the point as the legislation moves through committee, and they urged that courts' rulings upholding the initiative be respected in implementation.
