Sen. Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick/CREDIT: Washington State Legislature

OLYMPIA… Friday, Sen. Matt Boehnke voiced strong opposition to the Senate majority’s approval of House Bill 1296, calling the legislation “a direct assault on parental authority and local control in education.”

The bill would significantly expand the power of the state’s superintendent of public instruction to investigate and penalize school districts for perceived noncompliance with specific state laws. Like Senate Bill 5181, passed by the Senate majority in early February, it also would strip away key provisions supported by voters and legislators through 2024’s passage of Initiative 2081, to protect parents’ rights in public education.

Boehnke, R-Kennewick, issued this statement following the Senate vote:

“This legislation is a Trojan horse. It’s marketed as a student-safety bill but would gut vital protections for parents, shifts decision-making from local communities to unelected bureaucrats, and opens the door for overreach by the state in ways that voters never intended.

“This bill goes directly against the will of the voters who supported parental notification and oversight. It’s also inconsistent, to put it nicely, for our Democratic colleagues to make any amount of education funding contingent on compliance with state law. What if that compliance puts a school district at odds with federal education policy? This bill isn’t just misleading – it borders on bullying.

“This legislation creates a climate of fear and top-down control. We should be empowering families and communities, not threatening teachers and school boards into silence.”

“Our public education system must be a partnership between families, educators, and local communities. ESHB 1296 breaks that partnership. It is government overreach, plain and simple.”

The 2025 legislative session is scheduled to adjourn Sunday, April 27.

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