Dear friends and neighbors,
Sens. T’wina Nobles and Claire Wilson here! We are proud to serve as your vice chairs on the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee. We know how important it is that we foster inclusive and welcoming learning environments for children of all different backgrounds.
Students deserve to feel safe, so they can focus on learning. That’s why we wanted to take a moment to share with you the work we are doing to support students and their families.
Senate Bill 5123 updates Washington’s anti-discrimination laws to ensure all students are protected in public schools. It expands protections to include ethnicity, homelessness, immigration or citizenship status, and neurodivergence while clarifying distinctions between sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression to better reflect students’ lived experiences and identities. These updates close gaps in the current law and provide schools with clearer guidance to foster safer, more supportive learning spaces.
Discrimination harms student mental health and academic performance. Research shows that when schools are inclusive and welcoming, students can focus on their education without fear of bias or exclusion. This bill does not grant special rights — it ensures equal protection for all students, creating a school environment where every child, regardless of background, can thrive.
Senate Bill 5179 adds needed accountability at the school district level by directing the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to establish procedures to investigate and address complaints against school districts intentionally violating state law.
This bill focuses on ensuring school districts comply with laws that cover issues of civil rights (including discrimination and sexual harassment), harassment, intimidation, bullying, curriculum requirements, the use of restraint and isolation, and student discipline. The bill also requires school board directors to take an oath swearing to support and uphold Washington state law and allows for those found intentionally violating it to be recalled.
Local school districts and school boards are in the best position to effectively and quickly respond to the needs of their communities. But local control is not absolute and must be balanced to ensure we provide all students with a healthy and safe learning environment.
Senate Bill 5181 aligns the 2024 parental rights in public education bill with current state law. This bill preserves the core of that legislation while adjusting key provisions in order to eliminate ambiguity and overly broad terminology to aid districts with implementation.
Parents are their children’s first teachers, and their educational involvement is essential. That’s why this bill strengthens and expands parental rights.
As kids, school introduced us to diverse peers and families. Today, it remains a place where students from all backgrounds learn together. Fostering diversity and inclusivity in our schools is not only critical for students’ health and safety but an opportunity for them to learn and grow in the classroom and beyond. Diversity helps students build relationships, embrace differences, gain a deeper sense of belonging, and so much more. For that reason, we are proud to support these important pieces of legislation, which strengthen and expand protections for students and the rights of parents and guardians.
It’s a privilege to serve you on the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee, and we look forward to working together to provide support to students, their families, educators, and schools.
Sen. T’wina Nobles
Sen. Claire Wilson
