All Roll Calls
Yes: 819 • No: 688
WashingtonHB 12962025-2026 Regular SessionHouse
Promoting a safe and supportive public education system.
Sponsored By: Monica Jurado Stonier (Democratic)
Signed by Governor
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
16 provisions identified: 11 benefits, 3 costs, 2 mixed.
Broader school access rights for parents
The listed parent rights now cover children enrolled in public schools, not only children younger than 18. Parents can observe classrooms and school activities under state rules and review teaching materials under school policies. The list also includes bullying complaints, language help, unexcused-absence notices, and special-education information, appeals, and due-process hearings. It preserves charter and nonresident enrollment options and enrollment rights for families transferring or awaiting transfer to in-state military installations. These services and enrollment rights remain subject to their existing eligibility and procedures. Removing a child from school during school hours requires parent approval, subject to RCW 74.15.020, 13.32A.082, 26.44.050, and 26.44.115.
Families gain a state school complaint route
The law requires a uniform complaint access point by July 1, 2025, linking relevant education complaint processes. By July 1, 2026, the state education office must establish investigation and resolution processes for individual and broader complaints. Enrolled students and their parents can file either type; district residents can file only broader complaints. Covered laws address civil rights, bullying, curriculum, teaching materials, restraint or isolation, and student discipline. Filers must exhaust available complaint steps, or notify the superintendent when none exist; expedited rules may address immediate safety concerns. The framework extends to charter and state-tribal compact schools within their governing laws and statutory exceptions; the charter commission must forward qualifying willful-violation complaints after other steps are exhausted. Appeals of final state education office decisions must reach an administrative law judge within 30 days; further court review is available.
Faster family notice of staff abuse
Beginning May 20, 2025, schools must immediately notify parents upon receiving reports of staff or contractor abuse involving their child. This replaces the previous 48-hour delay and covers physical or sexual abuse, sexual misconduct, and assault. Employees and contractors with knowledge or reasonable cause must report suspected conduct to an administrator; administrators with reasonable cause must report to law enforcement. Reporting training is required at initial orientation and every three years. Schools must annually explain parents' public-records rights concerning employee discipline; the notice requirements also cover charter and state-tribal compact schools.
School workers gain protection from retaliation
Covered school employees cannot face adverse job actions for supporting students' legal rights or following specified state requirements. Teachers also have protection when teaching in line with state learning standards. Protection includes using approved teaching materials that reflect varied cultures and experiences, including materials about protected groups. These protections extend to covered employees in districts, charter schools, and state-tribal education compact schools.
Stronger rights and protections for students
Generally effective May 20, 2025, the law requires schools to prioritize student safety, fair treatment, basic education, and privacy. State and federal legal requirements still apply. Public-school discrimination protections cover sex, race, ethnicity, creed, religion, color, national origin, veteran status, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression. They also cover homelessness, immigration or citizenship status, disability, neurodivergence, and guide-dog or service-animal use. The state education office must post the student-rights statement, which includes special education and access to rigorous courses. Districts with high schools must include student rights in the required half-credit civics course; qualifying dual-credit social studies courses may include this instruction.
Schools must publicly track required fixes
After finding noncompliance in a qualifying complaint, the state education office must identify required fixes and deadlines. A second notice follows missed corrective deadlines and requires the superintendent and school board to submit a compliance plan for approval. For willful violations, districts must involve school staff, families, students, unions, and affected communities, and hold public meetings. They must publicly report progress at least every six months until compliance, while protecting student identities and private information. After a second notice, the state education office can require districts to adopt or readopt policies that follow state law.
School compliance plans can redirect funding
As a last resort after a second notice, the state education office can withhold and redirect district funding. The limit is 20% of the district's state basic-education funds, used to support its required compliance plan. This supports needed fixes but leaves less money available for other district uses. The office must consider the district's overall financial health and give written notice explaining its reasons. Withholding can last only until the office finds that the district complies with state law.
Families get clearer school cost information
Beginning May 20, 2025, schools must share yearly calendars at least 30 days before the school year. Calendars must include attendance days and known required events outside normal hours; written updates are due as soon as feasible. Districts must post annual required-fee lists explaining each fee's purpose, use, and treatment of economic hardship. Schools must also share applicable dress or uniform rules, periodic academic progress reports, and state-test results. Parents can request an in-person meeting with the teacher and principal when poor performance could prevent promotion.
Families get school complaint guides
The state education office must develop model handbook language about complaints, discrimination, harassment, bullying, sexual harassment, and transgender-student issues. It also includes information about the Office of the Education Ombuds. Districts must include the language in applicable student, parent, employee, and volunteer handbooks and maintained school and district websites. Districts with neither handbooks nor websites must provide it to those groups at least annually. This section takes effect August 1, 2025, although its text names the 2024–25 school year as the starting year.
Free school record reviews for parents
Parents can inspect and review their child's education records without charges for inspection, searching, or retrieval. Schools must provide requested copies within a reasonable time, no later than 45 days. Copy fees must be reasonable, appear in official school policies, and not block access. Schools cannot require an in-person visit when they can confirm the requester's identity. Requests must follow federal student-records law as of January 1, 2025, and Washington's applicable records law.
Parents get immediate school crime notices
Schools must immediately notify parents of reports alleging a crime against their child on school property during the school day. This also covers crimes against the child at school-sponsored activities and shootings on school property. Immediate notice is required when their child is detained on probable cause of criminal activity on school property during the school day. Parents must also receive immediate notice of law-enforcement custodial questioning at school during the school day. That questioning notice does not apply to a parent accused of abusing or neglecting the child.
Parents retain school survey opt-out choices
Beginning May 20, 2025, parents have written-notice and opt-out rights for surveys, analyses, or evaluations covering specified sensitive information. Covered topics include political beliefs, mental health, sexual behavior, illegal or demeaning conduct, legally privileged relationships, religion, and household income. The income rule excludes information needed to determine program eligibility or financial assistance. Parents also retain written-notice and opt-out rights for comprehensive sexual health education under Washington's existing rules.
Parents cannot sue under rights list
Beginning May 20, 2025, the public-school parent-rights section does not create a private right to sue. Parents cannot bring a lawsuit based solely on that section to enforce its listed rights. This limit does not itself remove rights or enforcement routes provided by other laws.
Parents lose specified school medical notices
The law removes express parent rights to advance notice when schools offer medical services to their child. It also removes specified notice rights about services or medicines affecting insurance payments or copays. The listed rights no longer include notice of school-arranged treatment needing follow-up care outside normal school hours. This change does not itself prohibit schools from giving notice.
School leaders face stronger noncompliance penalties
The educator standards board must adopt rules treating superintendents' and chief administrators' willful school-law violations as unprofessional conduct. This applies whether or not they hold an educator certificate; actively trying to achieve compliance is a defense. After a district receives a second notice, the state education office can make a superintendent misconduct finding. School board members' willful or negligent violations breach their oath and can lead to recall and removal. School directors' oaths must include a promise to support Washington state laws.
Student privacy limits some parental access
Beginning May 20, 2025, schools can protect sensitive student records by limiting access for some parents. This covers health care, social work, counseling, and discipline records. The parent must be a criminal defendant in a case naming the student as the victim, or face a pending child-abuse or neglect investigation. The investigation must be by law enforcement or Washington's Department of Children, Youth, and Families. Schools may release these records if the parent obtains a court order.
Sponsors & Cosponsors
Sponsor
Monica Jurado Stonier
Democratic • House
Cosponsors
Alex Ramel
Democratic • House
Beth Doglio
Democratic • House
Debra Lekanoff
Democratic • House
Edwin Obras
Democratic • House
Emily Alvarado
Democratic • House
Gerry Pollet
Democratic • House
Greg Nance
Democratic • House
Jake Fey
Democratic • House
Joe Fitzgibbon
Democratic • House
Julia Reed
Democratic • House
Lauren Davis
Democratic • House
Lisa Parshley
Democratic • House
Liz Berry
Democratic • House
Mary Fosse
Democratic • House
Natasha Hill
Democratic • House
Nicole Macri
Democratic • House
Osman Salahuddin
Democratic • House
Shaun Scott
Democratic • House
Shelley Kloba
Democratic • House
Steve Bergquist
Democratic • House
Strom Peterson
Democratic • House
Tarra Simmons
Democratic • House
Timm Ormsby
Democratic • House
Roll Call Votes
House vote • 4/24/2025
Concur in Senate Amendment(s)
Yes: 59 • No: 39
House vote • 4/24/2025
Final Passage as Amended by the Senate
Yes: 59 • No: 39
Senate vote • 4/11/2025
3rd Reading & Final Passage as Amended by the Senate
Yes: 30 • No: 19
Senate vote • 4/11/2025
370 Gildon Pg 11 Ln 31
Yes: 19 • No: 30
House vote • 3/12/2025
437 Ley Pg 11 Ln 11
Yes: 41 • No: 52 • Other: 5
House vote • 3/12/2025
383 Keaton Pg 14 Ln 9
Yes: 40 • No: 53 • Other: 5
House vote • 3/12/2025
396 Walsh Pg 10 Ln 13
Yes: 42 • No: 52 • Other: 4
House vote • 3/12/2025
382 Burnett Pg 8 Ln 31
Yes: 42 • No: 52 • Other: 4
House vote • 3/12/2025
462 Barkis Pg 13 Ln 10
Yes: 92 • No: 1 • Other: 5
House vote • 3/12/2025
442 Marshall Pg 10 Ln 1
Yes: 42 • No: 52 • Other: 4
House vote • 3/12/2025
384 Schmidt Pg 14 Ln 7
Yes: 39 • No: 54 • Other: 5
House vote • 3/12/2025
448 Caldier Pg 10 Ln 13
Yes: 41 • No: 52 • Other: 5
House vote • 3/12/2025
428 Couture Pg 10 Ln 34
Yes: 93 • No: 0 • Other: 5
House vote • 3/12/2025
3rd Reading & Final Passage
Yes: 56 • No: 37 • Other: 5
House vote • 3/12/2025
420 Steele Pg 10 Ln 13
Yes: 41 • No: 52 • Other: 5
House vote • 3/12/2025
435 Marshall Pg 10 Ln 1
Yes: 42 • No: 52 • Other: 4
House vote • 3/12/2025
444 Couture Pg 10 Ln 38
Yes: 41 • No: 52 • Other: 5
Actions Timeline
Effective date 5/20/2025*.
5/20/2025HouseChapter 369, 2025 Laws.
5/20/2025HouseGovernor signed.
5/20/2025legislatureDelivered to Governor.
4/26/2025legislaturePresident signed.
4/25/2025legislaturePassed final passage; yeas, 59; nays, 39; absent, 0; excused, 0.
4/24/2025HouseHouse concurred in Senate amendments.
4/24/2025HouseSpeaker signed.
4/24/2025legislatureThird reading, passed; yeas, 30; nays, 19; absent, 0; excused, 0.
4/11/2025HouseRules suspended. Placed on Third Reading.
4/11/2025HouseCommittee amendment(s) adopted as amended.
4/11/2025HousePlaced on second reading by Rules Committee.
4/9/2025HousePassed to Rules Committee for second reading.
4/8/2025HouseMinority; do not pass.
4/7/2025HouseWM - Majority; do pass with amendment(s).
4/7/2025HouseReferred to Ways & Means.
3/28/2025HouseAnd refer to Ways & Means.
3/27/2025HouseMinority; do not pass.
3/27/2025HouseEDU - Majority; do pass with amendment(s).
3/27/2025HouseFirst reading, referred to Early Learning & K-12 Education.
3/14/2025HouseThird reading, passed; yeas, 56; nays, 37; absent, 0; excused, 5.
3/12/2025HouseRules suspended. Placed on Third Reading.
3/12/2025HouseFloor amendment(s) adopted.
3/12/2025HouseAmendment ruled beyond the scope and object of the bill.
3/12/2025House1st substitute bill substituted.
3/12/2025House
Bill Text
Session Law
5/23/2025
Bill as Passed Legislature
4/26/2025
Engrossed Substitute
3/13/2025
Substitute Bill
2/3/2025
Original Bill
1/14/2025
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HB 2034, Concerning termination and restatement of plan 1 of the law enforcement officers' and firefighters' retirement system.
HB 2689, Concerning the working connections child care program.
SB 6260, Implementing efficiencies and programming changes in public education.
SB 5998, Making 2025-2027 fiscal biennium supplemental operating appropriations.
SB 6003, Concerning the capital budget.