Opinion: Parent notification of medical services, mental health issues involving students is removed

A new Washington state law removes parental notification requirements for student medical and mental health issues, reversing protections established by a 2023 voter-approved initiative.

At the bill signing Tuesday, prime sponsor Rep. Monica Stonier, D-Vancouver, hugged Ferguson afterward, thanking Ferguson for his office’s help all along the way

Elizabeth New (Hovde)
Washington Policy Center

Gov. Bob Ferguson is on board with keeping parents out of the loop when it comes to school or educator knowledge about medical and mental health ongoings that involve their children. You wouldn’t have known that was what House Bill 1296 proposed doing when watching the celebratory bill signing for the new law we’re told is “for the children,” however.

Instead, the suggestion was made that the new law helped students be free from discrimination in schools. Attendees and viewers were also told that the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction was going to make sure student safety and privacy were prioritized.

It’s true that OSPI is now charged with writing students’ rights into a handbook and that students will receive instruction about their rights. OSPI will also create a complaint process for people to use if school districts do not comply with lawmaker wishes. School districts found in violation will lose money. But a robust framework of state and federal laws already protect students from discrimination in Washington state schools.

Being free of discrimination is not what HB 1296 is about. The new law undoes parent notification rights that were established through Initiative 2081 last year.

Kids 13 and older are already allowed to make some medical decisions on their own. What 2081 did was require schools to notify parents when and if they were aware a child was making life-altering medical decisions or experiencing mental health issues. Read more about controversial state laws and practices here.

Kicking that notification right to the curb allows a child’s desire for privacy to be prioritized above parent involvement and their safety. That’s unfortunate. An overwhelming body of research shows parent involvement is related to increased academic achievement and better child health outcomes. Abuse laws rightly exist to help keep children safe from family relationships that are dangerous. They would have guided educators in this area, too.

At the bill signing Tuesday, prime sponsor Rep. Monica Stonier, D-Vancouver, hugged Ferguson afterward, thanking Ferguson for his office’s help all along the way. While the governor waited to sign this controversial bill as long as he could, it appears he was always going to.

Elizabeth New (Hovde) is a policy analyst and director of the Centers for Health Care and Worker Rights at the Washington Policy Center. She is a Clark County resident.

At the bill signing Tuesday, prime sponsor Rep. Monica Stonier, D-Vancouver, hugged Ferguson afterward, thanking Ferguson for his office’s help all along the way

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