Washington Governor Bob Ferguson on Tuesday signed [1] House Bill 1296 into law, repealing and replacing key elements of Initiative 2081, a parental rights measure backed by more than 454,000 state voters just one year ago.
BREAKING: Gov. Bob Ferguson has just signed the Democrats’ bill to gut the parental rights initiative, overturning the will of over 400,000 Washingtonians who backed Initiative 2081.
— Ari Hoffman (@thehoffather) May 20, 2025 [2]
HB 1296, introduced and passed by the Democrat-controlled Legislature, makes significant changes to the original initiative, which guaranteed 15 rights to parents of public school students. These rights included notification about academic performance, medical care, school safety issues, and law enforcement matters involving their children, along with access to educational and medical records.
Opponents say the new legislation removes or weakens many of these protections.
Among the most contentious provisions of HB 1296:
- Schools are now allowed to delay parental notification when incidents involving students occur.
- Parents no longer have guaranteed access to their children’s medical and mental health records.
- There is no longer a requirement for schools to immediately notify parents when students receive medical services from school staff or government employees.
- The bill permits schools to delay notifying parents by up to two days if their child is the victim of a crime or sexual assault while on school property.
- Parents seeking legal remedies when their rights under the original initiative are violated face new procedural hurdles.
- The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) has been granted expanded authority to enforce compliance, including the power to sanction school districts.
The measure passed strictly along party lines, with every Republican legislator opposing the bill.
Rep. Travis Couture (R-Allyn), a lead opponent of the legislation, called HB 1296 a “slap in the face to democracy” and criticized his colleagues across the aisle for dismantling a law they had previously supported.
“We have seen a stunning amount of sexual misconduct and sexual assaults by educators in our schools just in the last year,” Couture said during floor debate.
He offered an amendment requiring immediate parental notification if a student was sexually abused by a school employee, but it was voted down by the Democratic majority.
The bill’s passage and signing have drawn national attention and condemnation from conservative leaders.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) called the bill “utterly insane,” and former President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social, “Washington State Democrats voted not to inform parents if a child is sexually abused by a school employee.”
Serious question:
How does ANYONE—no matter how Left-wing—vote against informing parents that their child has been sexually assaulted at school?
Utter insane. https://t.co/xcjLGiawEN [3]
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) February 1, 2025 [4]
Businessman Elon Musk also shared the news, amplifying criticism of the legislation across social media.
Let’s Go Washington, the grassroots organization that initiated and campaigned for Initiative 2081, issued a sharp rebuke following the bill’s signing.
Founder Brian Heywood spoke to Talk Radio 570 KVI’s Ari Hoffman Show, calling the new law “a direct assault on parents and a damnation of Governor Ferguson’s claim to be a moderate for Washingtonians.”
“We will do everything in our power to reverse this gutting of the Parental Rights Bill,” Heywood stated, indicating the group would begin mobilizing immediately to undo the law.
Before Initiative 2081 went into effect on June 6, it faced legal challenges from civil rights groups, including the ACLU, which argued that its language could negatively affect LGBTQ+ and other vulnerable youth.
A state judge dismissed the lawsuit, but advocacy groups have maintained opposition.
Democratic leaders, including House Speaker Laurie Jinkins (D-Tacoma) and Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen (D-Seattle), defended HB 1296 by saying most of Initiative 2081’s provisions already existed in state policy.
“Young women, if they’re old enough to get pregnant, they’re old enough to make their own decisions about what happens with their bodies & parents do not have the right to change that or make a different decision or be notified in advance.”
WA Senate Majority Leader Jamie… pic.twitter.com/CQYS7QFXXH [5]
— Ari Hoffman (@thehoffather) February 11, 2025 [6]
In an op-ed in The Seattle Times, they claimed 90 percent of the initiative’s content was redundant.
However, Pedersen previously faced criticism after stating that “Parents don’t have the right to have notice, they don’t have a right to have consent about that,” a remark widely circulated by critics of the bill.
Washington Democrat leader says the quiet part out loud
“Kids over 13 have the right to make their own decisions about their healthcare. Parents don’t have the right to have notice, they don’t have a right to have consent about that.” – Sen Majority Leader Jamie Pederson (D) https://t.co/DpYUlfsXJb [7]
— Ari Hoffman (@thehoffather) February 7, 2025 [8]
Let’s Go Washington has signaled it is preparing a formal challenge and plans to reignite its statewide campaign.
The group has a record of successful grassroots mobilization and has pledged to restore what it calls “basic protections for parental involvement.”
“The Governor and his party have shown their true colors,” Heywood said.
“This is not about politics. It’s about trust, transparency, and the basic rights of parents to know what’s happening in their children’s lives. And Washington families will not forget it.”