One would think parental access to their own children’s school records would be a non-controversial issue.

Unfortunately, parents across Washington have expressed frustration that those records were incomplete, not provided or not easily accessible. That might be why almost 450,000 Washingtonians signed Initiative 2081, an initiative to the Legislature that provides parents and guardians of public school children the right to review instructional materials, inspect records, receive notifications and opt out of certain school activities.

. . . Our local state Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Centralia, stated in his March 2024 floor speech that the initiative may or may not merely codify existing law, but regardless it will help “strengthen the bonds a student has with their family” and create better “pathways of communication.” He highlighted that some conversations between a parent and child are uncomfortable, but it is “in those uncomfortable moments that trust is built. It’s in those moments that those relationships are strengthened.” . . .

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