WSCC Support for Initiative 2081 (I-2081)
The Washington State Catholic Conference (WSCC) supports Initiative 2081 (I-2081), which would establish a parents’ bill of rights for parents of children in public schools. In the tradition of Catholic Social Teaching, families are a central social institution that must be supported and strengthened, not undermined. I-2081 strengthens family rights.
At the discretion of pastors, signatures for this initiative may be collected at parishes. Parishioners must obtain approval from pastors prior to collecting petition signatures on church grounds. Because this is an initiative to the Legislature, petitions are not due to the Secretary of State until December 29, 2023. To qualify for legislative action, 324,516 valid signatures must be collected. The Secretary of State recommends collecting 15-20% more than this number to guard against signatures that are invalidated due to non-registration or duplication.
Explanation of Initiative 2081: The text of I-2081 may be viewed here. I-2081 names parents as the primary stakeholders in their children’s upbringing. It also reiterates or establishes numerous parents’ rights within the public school system. Among those listed are the right to review medical records and health records, the right to receive prior notification when medical services are being offered to their child (except when emergency medical treatment is required), the right to receive notification of a medical service or medications provided to their child that could result in financial impact, the right to receive reassurance that a child’s public school will not discriminate against a child based upon sincerely held religious beliefs, and the right to receive notification if a child is taken or removed from a public school campus without parental permission, including to stay at a youth shelter or host home. I-2081 also calls for parents to receive notification and the ability to opt their children out of activities that include questions about a child’s sexual experiences or are on the topic of sexual activity.
The Initiative Process: The state’s constitution reserves the right of people to propose bills and laws via an initiative to the people or an initiative to the Legislature. They also have the right to approve or reject at the polls any act, item, section, or part of any bill, act, or law passed by the legislature. I-2081 is an initiative to the Legislature. If the initiative qualifies by the December 29 deadline, it will take precedence over all other measures in the 2024 session, except for budget bills. The Legislature may adopt the initiative, reject it, refuse to act on it, or provide an alternative on the same subject. If the Legislature rejects it or refuses to act, the initiative will then be on the general election ballot in 2024. If the Legislature provides an alternative, both versions of the initiative will be on the 2024 ballot.
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