State Sen. Paul Harris, R-Vancouver, today joined his Republican colleagues in voting against a Senate proposal that would undermine the parental-rights law approved by the Legislature last year.

Senate Bill 5181 was passed along party lines, 30-19, after a floor debate during which Harris and other Republicans argued against its approval.

Harris, the Republican leader on the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee, told senators he had received “hundreds and hundreds” of emails from people concerned about the proposal, which would undo important rights guaranteed by Initiative 2081.

I-2081 was submitted to the Legislature at the start of the 2024 session after roughly 454,000 Washington voters signed petition sheets in support of it. The measure had been passed unanimously by the Senate in early March, just 10 months ago.

“I’ve been a legislator for 14 years. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bill passed that goes against the will of 454,000 people,” said Harris. “Also, most of those voting for the bill today had helped pass I-2081. It’s odd that they would flip-flop so quickly, and worse that they made it so this bill can’t be challenged through a referendum. They said these changes constitute an emergency, but I don’t see it.”

Harris, who served 10 years as an Evergreen School Board member before becoming a state legislator, said SB 5181 will cause confusion for parents and others who want to see more transparency in public schools when it comes to the children who attend them.

“We might think it clarifies, we might think it’s more understandable to individuals, but to many, this causes confusion. I really believe this will take us a step backward. I want individuals to have complete confidence in our school system. We need to trust our parents. We needed to listen to all, and I don’t think we are,” said Harris, who noted that fewer students are attending public schools than in previous years due to eroding public trust in the public school system.

SB 5181 would eliminate or weaken parents’ access to school-related medical information, including:

• Prior notification when medical services are offered (except in emergencies).
• Notification when medical services or medication could impact health insurance.
• Notification when school-arranged medical treatment results in follow-up care.

Prior to the final vote on the measure, the Senate approved amendments offered by Republicans:

• One requires immediate notification of parents if there has been a shooting on school property.
• Another preserves the provision granting parents and legal guardians the right to receive immediate notification, if a criminal action has been committed against their child or their child has been detained on probable cause of involvement in criminal activity.
• A third restores the provision granting parents and legal guardians the right to receive “immediate notification,” rather than notification at the first opportunity and within 48 hours in all cases, if law enforcement personnel question their child during a custodial interrogation at the school during the school day, except in cases where the parent or legal guardian has been accused of abusing or neglecting the child.

SB 5181 now goes to the House of Representatives for further consideration.