Washington State is making national headlines again—but this time with good news. Two citizen-led initiatives on parental rights and girls' sports are drawing nationwide attention as a potential turning point in education policy.
To understand what's at stake, we need to look back just one year.
In 2025, under the banner of student safety, legislation dismantled Washington's landmark parental bill of rights law (formerly RCW 28A.605.005 Parental rights) while unleashing an unprecedented expansion of state control over education.
The reversal was swift and sweeping. What voters and lawmakers had approved with broad bipartisan support was dismantled in a single legislative session.
Flash forward to the current legislative session. State House and Senate Republicans held listening sessions on the two initiatives last week. They took this unprecedented step because state Democratic leaders—Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen and House Speaker Laurie Jinkins—insisted last month that they would not hold legislative hearings on the measures. So, the initiatives will go to the ballot this fall without lawmakers taking any official, on-the-record action. At least, that was the plan.
Leadership’s refusal may be more than political calculation—it may be unconstitutional. Jackson Maynard, executive director of the Citizen Action Defense Fund, has sent a formal demand letter arguing that lawmakers are constitutionally obligated to hold hearings on citizen initiatives before routine policy bills. “[H]undreds of non-budget bills are receiving hearings," Maynard notes. “The Legislature cannot pick and choose which parts of the Constitution to follow based on political comfort or preference.”
The standoff has caught national attention. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed titled “Sanity Will Be on the Ballot in Washington State,” Corey DeAngelis argues that passage of the parental rights and girls' sports initiatives will be a victory for both Washingtonians and families nationwide:
Should these initiatives prevail, it would inject fresh momentum into the fight for sanity nationwide, emboldening parental-rights advocates to mount similar challenges in other blue strongholds like California or New York. It would demonstrate that grassroots movements can overcome entrenched special interests…a win in Washington could set a precedent for other jurisdictions, accelerating a cultural shift toward policies that treat women and families with respect.
Refusing to wait for majority leadership to act, minority leadership and grassroots organizers took matters into their own hands last week. Republicans in coordination with Let’s Go Washington chose decisive action to ensure the voices of Washington parents, student athletes, teachers, taxpayers, and citizens were heard at the state legislature. Organizers held two listening sessions after a rally on the Capitol steps.
At the legislative listening session, I testified in support of restoring the parental rights law, making three key points:
- More than 30 states have parental rights laws
- No credible research links parental rights laws with child endangerment
- Decades of research show informed parents improve student outcomes
Below is my full testimony (starting at ~27:00):
"Good evening. I’m Dr. Vicki Murray, Director of the Center for Education at the Washington Policy Center.
And I support 'Restoring the Washington Parents' Bill of Rights' (IL26-001).
Over 30 states have a parents’ bill of rights, and nearly two-thirds of states protect parental rights through 'strict scrutiny' in courts—meaning there must be credible evidence of actual harm before the state can infringe upon the fundamental rights of parents.
Yet under the guise of promoting a 'safe and supportive education system,' parents’ rights were gutted last year.
Conspicuously absent from supporters’ claims is any scientifically rigorous research that:
1) links the adoption of parents’ bills of rights laws with documented increases of harm to children; or
2) demonstrates better health and academic outcomes for children in the minority of non-parental bill of rights states.
In stark contrast, one of the most consistently documented findings in the educational and developmental research literature is that informed and engaged parents contribute to better child health and educational outcomes.
In conclusion, there is no credible scientific basis for treating Washington parents as 'public enemy number one.'
But there is an expansive body of evidence showing that keeping parents in the dark makes children less safe, less secure, and less successful in school.
Thank you."
The initiatives will appear on the November 2026 ballot. Whether majority leadership chooses to hold official legislative hearings or continues to ignore nearly 1 million combined petition signatures, Washington voters will have the final say on parental rights and girls’ sports—and the outcome may help reshape education policy nationwide.