The Lynden School Board has formally opposed five bills being considered in the state Legislature, arguing they would undermine parental rights and local control.
In a resolution passed Thursday, Feb. 6, the school board said “these bills collectively threaten the foundational principles of public education by imposing unfunded mandates, diminishing local flexibility, and undermining the voices of families and communities,” naming Senate Bills 5180, 5181, 5179 and 5123 and House Bill 1296.
Senate Bill 5181, which amends the Parents Rights Initiative passed last session, would bring it into alignment with existing law. The school board is contesting the removal of notification requirements on medical services and treatment, and the inclusion of an emergency clause that prevents voters from challenging the bill through a referendum.
Another bill, which has not progressed out of committee, would require certain amendments to school districts’ gender-inclusive schools’ policies and procedures, including prohibiting requirements for employees to disclose information related to a student’s sexual orientation or gender without their consent. The school board said this bill would “hamper efforts to amend to include parental rights.”
A bill being considered in the Senate Ways & Means Committee would establish a process to investigate noncompliance with state education laws on civil rights, harassment, intimidation and bullying, curriculum requirements and more. The school board described this bill as establishing a “punitive, unfunded, unworkable, and administratively burdensome complaint process” in its resolution.
SB 5123 is also being considered in the Ways & Means committee, and would add protected classes to nondiscrimination provisions that apply to Washington public schools: ethnicity, homelessness, immigration or citizenship status, and neurodivergence. The board’s resolution states that this bill could limit local flexibility and cause unneeded controversy when the district already “recognizes the worth and value in every student.”
Finally, House Bill 1296 would implement a range of changes, intended to promote a “safe and supportive public education system” — consolidating actions from some of the other bills into one.
School board member Tonya Hickman said Thursday that since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lynden community has had a strong response to “controversial policies” coming down from the Legislature.
She emphasized the school board is nonpartisan, but that “Washington state makes it really hard to be a nonpartisan board.”
Board President Jim Verburg said even the “most progressive districts” are going to have parents that pull their kids out over these kinds of policies.
“This is a big issue, one I’m willing to go to the mat on, and I’ll continue to fight so that our educators and our administrators and [paraeducators] can do the job they’re here to do, which is to educate children,” he said. “We are not a social factory for these kinds of policies … and we want to honor all of our students and make our schools welcome for every student and every parent.”
The resolution also expressed support for two bills related to school funding: Senate Bill 5192 would increase funding for materials, supplies and operating costs by 10%. Senate Bill 5263 would increase funding for special education.
A public hearing for both bills is scheduled in the Senate Ways & Means Committee at 4 p.m. on Feb. 11.
Charlotte Alden is CDN’s general assignment/enterprise reporter; reach her at charlottealden@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 123.
