Oppose Initiatives IL26-001 & IL26-638
Washingtonians respect and care for each other. We may not always agree, but we work together to protect our children from hate, bullying, and harassment. While Washington families are struggling to pay for food, housing, and health care, a mega-millionaire from California is spending millions on two poorly written initiatives that threaten the safety of every student.
Repealing the Safety Act Increases Risks of Abuse (IL26-001)
While most parents are loving and supportive, the sad reality is not all kids are safe at home, and need to turn to a trusted teacher or school counselor for help. This one-size-fits-all initiative restricts student access to help for challenges like depression and anxiety, which are at record highs. IL26-001 repeals the Safety Act, a landmark bill to ensure access to education and a safe learning environment for all students.
IL26-001 REMOVES PROTECTIONS FOR ABUSED CHILDREN: Current law protects students’ social work, counseling, and disciplinary records from being accessed by parents under criminal investigation for abusing their own child. IL26-001 removes these protections. Current law also explicitly prevents the release of these records to parents who have been charged with a crime against their own child. IL26-001 removes these protections, as well.
20% of Washington 10th and 12th graders have been physically hurt (pushed, slapped, hit, kicked or punched) on purpose by an adult.
There were 116,682 reports of child victims of abuse or neglect in Washington in 2023 alone.
IL26-001 FORCES SCHOOLS TO OUT LGBTQ+ STUDENTS: IL26-001 puts vulnerable kids at a greater risk of physical and emotional abuse at home, and even homelessness, by forcing teachers and school counselors to “out” LGBTQ+ students to unsupportive families.
LGBTQ+ youth are 120% more likely to experience homelessness.
40% of LGBTQ+ homeless youth were kicked out of their homes because of their identities.
IL26-001 RESTRICTS STUDENTS’ ACCESS TO HELP: IL 26-001 could lead to the disclosure of counseling or other medical records that are currently protected by state and federal law. Students facing violence, sexual abuse, bullying, or depression would be less likely to seek help from trusted school counselors, who would be required to release students’ confidential information. This is true even if the student is seeking protection from abuse or sexual violence at home, and even if the parent is under criminal investigation.
58% of Washington adolescents (grades 8-12) experience anxiety and/or depression and one in ten Washington state students say they have no one to turn to when feeling depressed.
56% of LGBTQ+ youth in WA ages 13-17 experienced bullying in the past year.
IL26-001 DISRUPTS CLASSROOMS, INVITES COSTLY LITIGATION: IL26-001 empowers extremist groups to challenge what teachers can teach, jeopardizing all Washington students’ educational opportunities. And IL26-001 uses confusing and vague language that puts our school districts at risk of lawsuits that waste tax dollars. We can ensure parents are fully informed and involved in their kids’ education without allowing a small number of people with political agendas to dictate curriculums and exposing our underfunded schools to costly lawsuits.
Invasive Genital Exams On Girls To Play Sports (IL26-638)
It’s true some people have a difficult time understanding what it means to be transgender, and we all want fairness and safety in sports. Only a handful of trangender girls play afterschool sports in Washington, yet IL26-638 will rollback Washington’s successful sports policy in place since 2007 and institute a statewide blanket ban. This poorly written initiative will subject many girls to invasive, medically unnecessary and harmful genital exams to verify their sex.
IL26-638 COULD FORCE INVASIVE GENITAL EXAMS ON GIRLS: Under IL26-638, girls who want to play on a team will need a medical certification of her sex; birth certificates would not be accepted as sufficient proof. Boys are exempt. Medical certification of a girl’s sex - defined in IL26-638 as a physical “reproductive organ” exam, or costly genetic or hormone testing - would be required for girls without long-term family doctors to certify their sex based on prior medical history.
Disproportionate Impacts:
IL26-638 will disproportionately impact low income, rural, Black, brown, and immigrant girls who historically do not have access to long-term family doctors or pediatricians to certify their sex from previous history.
The American Academy of Family Physicians says sports physicals should take place “not in a group setting.” But Black, brown, immigrant, low income and rural families who often face barriers to accessing family physicians, frequently depend on free large group sports physicals where girls could face greater embarrassment and harm from invasive genital inspections.
Black and brown girls and women face challenges to their sex much more frequently than white girls and women, and IL26-638 could be used to harass girls of color and keep them off sports teams.
Medical Sex Certification:
Washington state sports physicals do not require sex testing because, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians, sports physicals should focus on life-threatening conditions like heart, bone, and lung issues.
Physical exams of girls’ reproductive organs may require pelvic exams, which are not only medically unnecessary for sports, they can emotionally and physically harm young girls. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says there is no medical reason for a pelvic exam for girls younger than 21 unless the patient has other health concerns.
Students currently remain fully clothed during Washington sports physicals, which are supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Sports Medicine, and American Academy of Family Physicians, but IL26-638 will change that for many girls.
IL26-638 REPLACES WA’S SUCCESSFUL POLICY WITH A BLANKET BAN: It’s understandable to feel unsure about how schools can best include all of their students. This is a complex issue that requires case-by-case solutions, as allowed by Washington's successful policy in place since 2007, not a blanket ban. We should allow local districts and leagues to keep setting policies that are fair for their students. We shouldn’t outlaw the possibility of making decisions case-by-case.