House Bill 1289, which the committee passed on Thursday, would require the survey to be operational by Sept. 1, 2025

A bipartisan bill from Rep. Stephanie McClintock, which would require the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to create a voluntary, confidential online survey for parents or guardians to fill out when transferring or withdrawing a student from a public school or school district, has received unanimous approval from the House Education committee.

“We are losing too many kids from public schools because we are not meeting our students’ and parents’ needs,” said McClintock, R-Vancouver. “When someone leaves a position in the private sector, it’s common practice for companies to seek feedback to learn how they could improve. This would be an effective way to better understand why families are leaving.”

House Bill 1289, which the committee passed on Thursday, would require the survey to be operational by Sept. 1, 2025. It would encourage public schools to notify parents or guardians of the survey and provide a link to it upon receiving a request from a parent or guardian to transfer or withdraw a student.

The survey would be used to collect data about why parents and guardians transfer or withdraw students from public schools and use it to better meet students’ and their parents’ or guardians’ needs.

“If we don’t know why students are leaving, then we can’t improve,” said McClintock. “This legislation aims to help us create policies that address students’ and parents’ concerns and would be a valuable tool in improving student success in our public schools.”

The bill now waits for a vote on the House floor.

Information provided by Washington State House Republicans, houserepublicans.wa.gov

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