Washington Dems Push Bill to Keep Parents From Knowing About Sexual Assault on Kids [WATCH]

House Republicans in Washington State pushed back Thursday against a bill they argue would undermine a parental rights initiative passed last year.

Despite offering more than two dozen amendments during an executive session before the House Education Committee, none were successful in slowing down House Bill 1296, which Democrats advanced along party lines.

According to the House Bill Report, HB 1296 is intended to promote “a safe and supportive public education system through student rights, parental and guardian rights, employee protections, and requirements for state and local education entities.”

Celebrate Trump’s Historic 2024 Victory with the Exclusive Trump 47th President Collection!

However, critics say it weakens Initiative 2081, a parents’ bill of rights that became law in March 2024 and took effect on June 6.

I-2081 grants parents and legal guardians the right to access information about their child’s academic performance, medical records, safety concerns, and law enforcement interactions within public schools.

A King County Superior Court judge recently upheld the initiative, granting summary judgment in favor of I-2081 and dismissing a legal challenge against it with prejudice, preventing it from being refiled.

During Thursday’s session, Rep. Travis Couture, R-Allyn, introduced an amendment to clarify the definition of “gender expansive” in the bill.

“What this amendment does is say the Legislature never intended to include things like xeno-gender, for example,” Couture explained.

“What xeno-gender is, is people who identify as cats and dogs and creatures and plants. I think it’s pretty safe to say that when my kids go to school and in conjunction with their teachers and other staff, they say they want to identify as a cat, that I should know about that right away as a parent, and that is not a real gender.”

Bill sponsor Rep. Monica Stonier, D-Vancouver, urged lawmakers to reject the amendment.

“The suggestion that any child coming to our schools with reference to any gender expression or identity would be considered not human is offensive and demonstrates sincere disconnect with what happens in our schools currently, so I’m asking you to vote no,” Stonier stated.

Couture also introduced an amendment requiring schools to immediately notify parents if their child was a victim of sexual misconduct by school staff.

“The underlying bill essentially states that schools can wait 48 hours before telling parents if their child was involved in any sort of sexual misconduct or there was any sexual misconduct of staff,” Couture said.

“We have seen a stunning amount of sexual misconduct and sexual assault by staff in our schools … for God’s sake, please vote yes.”

Couture’s amendment gained national attention when the Trump administration highlighted the issue on Truth Social.

However, Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self, D-Mukilteo, urged committee members to reject the proposal.

“For justice’s sake, we are told to take the direction from them [law enforcement], and that is what we do, and that is what we urge our staff to do, and so I’m going to urge a no vote,” Ortiz-Self stated.

Despite Republican opposition, HB 1296 passed out of committee along party lines. Following the vote, Couture told The Center Square that Republicans are not backing down.

“The people of Washington are sick of this tyranny, and we want a balanced government that protects our most vulnerable constituents and doesn’t go down the pathway of crazy radical ideology turning into public policy that harms our people,” he said.

Washington State Democrats encourage child sexual exploitation in schools. They make damn sure the parent never hears about it. They party of pedos pic.twitter.com/FhVFzY3hsQ

— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) January 31, 2025

Rep. Michael Keaton, R-Puyallup, expressed frustration after all 25 Republican amendments were rejected.

“I was in a committee this morning trying to do my best to oppose the removal of Initiative 2081, the parental bill of rights,” Keaton said, adding that he had hoped for a more balanced debate.

Washington State Republican Party Chair Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, criticized the bill’s supporters and vowed to keep fighting against policies that undermine parental rights.

“They have so miscalculated what people think, and I think they came into this session super-arrogant about what they could cram through, and this is balance returning because they’ve gone way too far,” Walsh told The Center Square on Friday.

As HB 1296 moves forward, the battle over parental rights in Washington State’s education system continues, with Republicans pledging to challenge what they see as government overreach in schools.

The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of LifeZette. Contact us for guidelines on submitting your own commentary.