The Parent’s Bill of Rights is a report on K-12 student and parent’s rights. This report is based on a document prepared by committee staff as an interim project and was formatted for ease of access and increased readability by our caucus communications staff.
The impetus for this report came from a bill recently introduced by Senator Perry Dozier, R-Waitsburg’s Senate Bill 5858 (2022). This piece of legislation sought to establish what they were referring to as a parent’s bill of rights related to their child’s public education. I merely asked that Senate Committee Services (SCS) compile the expanding number of rights already enshrined across multiple RCWs, WACs, and statutes into a list. These findings were to be presented during the February 1st meeting of the Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee.
These rights range from those that involve classroom access and parental involvement (pgs. 17-20) and the complaint process (pgs. 58-61) to existing systems within the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (pg. 65), the Charter School Commission (pg. 68), and the Office of the Education Ombuds (pg. 66), as well as many more. Education is our strategic advantage. This tool brings us all in closer lockstep as we move forward as a growing and evolving society.
I am sharing this resource with you in hopes that you may utilize the contents herein to further discussions with constituents, parents and students, and anyone with an interest in Washington’s education system. As the Chair of the Senate committee on Early Learning & K-12, I felt it necessary to consolidate the list of (growing) rights so that families may stay best informed on all things K-12.
Please click here to read or download this powerful report! (Or go to TinyURL.com/LWParentsBillOfRights)
