Opinion: The war on parental rights

Nancy Churchill argues that Olympia lawmakers are undermining voter-approved parental rights by rewriting key legislation and silencing dissent.

Nancy Churchill says the people spoke and the lawmakers in Olympia ignored them

Nancy Churchill
Dangerous Rhetoric

In 2023, Washington voters approved a straightforward initiative: the Parents’ Bill of Rights. The goal was simple — restore parental authority in education and require transparency in public schools. But instead of respecting the will of the people, progressive Democrats in Olympia turned it into a political fight.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal flatly refused to implement the law. He called it unconstitutional and told schools they could ignore it. But a judge disagreed. The court ruled the law was legal and had to be followed. Even then, Reykdal and his progressive allies in Olympia did what they always do — ignored the voters and pushed their own agenda.

Rather than carry out the law, Democrats rewrote it. It’s not just a slap in the face to parents; it’s a threat to the very idea of citizen-led government.

SB 5181: The legislature guts the law — and silences dissent

During committee hearings, Rep. Travis Couture pointed out “A bill can only do what the title says. The title of SB 5181 says the bill can amend the parent’s rights initiative to bring it into alignment with existing law. Only one problem, the parent’s rights initiative IS existing law. This bill is out of order & unconstitutional.” That didn’t matter to the progressive left.

They called it a “compromise,” but it was anything but. This bill guts the original initiative, leaving only vague language that gives the state more control while pushing parents to the sidelines.

Even worse, when Republican lawmakers in the House tried to stand up for parents and defend the original bill, they were shut down. All of the proposed amendments from Republican lawmakers were voted down. A new rule — pushed by House Democrats — was used to cut off floor debate. That’s right. Democrats silenced elected officials on the House floor. The people’s voice, representing over three million Washington voters, was literally muzzled.

SB 5181 passed the House, but don’t call it democracy. It was a raw power grab. Progressives rewrote the rules to protect their agenda and silence anyone who stood in the way.

Fortunately, there’s still time to act. You can write to the governor and ask him to veto the bill — or at the very least, strike the emergency clause.

School districts push back

Not everyone is backing down. In 2022, the La Center School District stood its ground. State superintendent Reykdal, the biggest bully in Olympia, tried to force schools to adopt radical DEI and gender identity mandates — dictating pronoun usage and other policies without parent consent. La Center said no.

They stood up for local values and called out the state for forcing ideology into the classroom. And now, they’ve taken the fight all the way to Washington, D.C. La Center School District has asked the federal government to investigate whether the state was violating federal law. Additional districts have also joined the petition: Mead, Moses Lake, Kennewick, Tumwater, Lynden, and Warden.

Think about that. Small, local school districts in Washington have been pushed so far by OSPI’s overreach that they’re turning to the federal government for help. That’s how bad it’s gotten. When the federal government starts to look like the lesser of two evils, you know your state has lost its way.

Washington Parents Network files Title IX lawsuit

Parents aren’t sitting quietly, either. The Washington Parents Network just filed a Title IX complaint against Reykdal and OSPI. They’re accusing the state of discriminating against girls and violating federal law.

Their message is loud and clear: these gender policies aren’t just wrong — they’re illegal. The state is using them to push parents out of the picture, silence teachers, and erase biological reality. This isn’t just about bathrooms and pronouns. It’s about who controls the classroom — local elected school boards, or unelected state officials.

This lawsuit sends a clear warning: Parents are done asking nicely. Parents are the primary stakeholders in education, they want their rights respected and they’re not backing down.

A crisis for local families and schools

Unless SB 5181 is vetoed by Governor Ferguson, parents across the state will be stuck in an impossible spot. Do they pull their kids out of public school to protect them—or stay and fight in a system that’s stacked against them?

For rural families, it’s even harder. Many are low-income or juggling multiple jobs. They rely on public schools. But how can parents trust a system that thinks it can secretly medicate or transition their child without even telling them?

Leaving the public school system may feel like the only option. And for some families, it will be the best option. But when families pull out of public education, school districts also suffer. Enrollment drops. Funding disappears. Teachers and programs are cut. And the kids who are left behind get hurt the most.

The pressure isn’t just on parents and administrators — it’s also crushing school boards. If they follow the state’s radical mandates, they risk losing federal funds. If they push back, they risk losing state funding. It’s a no-win situation. And make no mistake — this isn’t education anymore. It’s political extortion. And unless local communities rise up, demand change, and protect their schools, we’ll all be left paying the price.

Who gets to raise our kids?

This fight over the Parents’ Bill of Rights was never just about policy. It’s about who gets to raise our kids — moms and dads at the kitchen table, or bureaucrats in Olympia.

Parents didn’t start this fight. But they won’t sit quietly while the state tries to take their place. Now, families across Washington are stepping up to defend their role—because no government has the right to overrule a parent’s voice.

When the state pushes this far into family life, it’s not just politics — it’s personal. It’s time to stand up, speak out and make it clear: We don’t co-parent with the government.

Nancy Churchill is a writer and educator in rural eastern Washington State, and the chair of the Ferry County Republican Party. She may be reached at DangerousRhetoric@pm.me. The opinions expressed in Dangerous Rhetoric are her own. Dangerous Rhetoric is available on Substack, thinkspot, and Rumble.