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Washington Parental Right to Review Education Materials, Receive Notifications, and Opt Out of Sexual-Health Education Initiative (2026)
| Washington Parental Right to Review Education Materials, Receive Notifications, and Opt Out of Sexual-Health Education Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 3, 2026 | |
| Topic Public education governance | |
| Status Cleared for signature gathering | |
| Type State statute | Origin Citizens |
The Washington Parental Right to Review Education Materials, Receive Notifications, and Opt Out of Sexual-Health Education Initiative may appear on the ballot in Washington as an Initiative to the Legislature, a type of indirect initiated state statute, on November 3, 2026.
The ballot initiative would re-enact Initiative to the Legislature 2081, titled the Washington Parents’ Bill of Rights.[1] In March 2024, the Washington State Legislature passed Initiative to the Legislature 2081 but repealed or amended several provisions in May 2025.[2]
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for the initiative is below:[3]
| “ | Initiative Measure No. IL26-001 concerns parental rights relating to their children in public school.
This measure would repeal amendments to a statute listing certain rights of parents and guardians of public-school children and re-enact the law as it was originally enacted by Initiative to the Legislature 2081. Should this measure be enacted into law?[4] |
” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary for the initiative is below:[3]
| “ | This measure would re-enact RCW 28A.605.005 as it was originally enacted in Initiative to the Legislature 2081. The re-enacted law would list certain rights of parents and guardians of public-school children, including rights to review materials and student records, receive certain notifications, and opt students out of certain activities. It would repeal amendments to the statute, which modified school obligations and access to certain student records and added certain parental rights.[4] | ” |
Full text
The full text is available here.
Path to the ballot
Process in Washington
An indirect initiated state statute is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends state statute. There are nine (9) states that allow citizens to initiate indirect state statutes.
While a direct initiative is placed on the ballot once supporters file the required number of valid signatures, an indirect initiative is first presented to the state legislature. Legislators have a certain number of days, depending on the state, to adopt the initiative into law. Should legislators take no action or reject the initiative, the initiative is put on the ballot for voters to decide.
In Washington, the number of signatures required for an indirect initiated state statute, called an Initiative to the Legislature (ITL), is equal to 8% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. Signatures for indirect initiatives are due at least 10 days prior to the beginning of the legislative session in the year of the targeted election.
In Washington, the Legislature has three options regarding Initiatives to the Legislature:
- (1) The Legislature can adopt an Initiative to the Legislature, in which case the initiative is enacted into law without a vote of electors;
- (2) The Legislature can reject or not act on the initiative, in which case the initiative is placed on the ballot at the next state general election; or
- (3) The Legislature can approve an alternative to the proposed initiative, in which case both the original proposal and the legislative alternative are placed on the ballot at the next state general election.
If an indirect initiative goes to the ballot, a simple majority vote is required for approval.
The requirements to get an Initiative to the Legislature certified for the 2026 ballot:
- Signatures: 308,911 valid signatures
- Deadline: January 2, 2026
Stages of this ballot initiative
The following is the timeline of the initiative:[5]
- May 22, 2025: Larry Jensen filed the ballot initiative.
- June 3, 2025: The office of Attorney General Nick Brown (D) issued the ballot title and summary for the initiative. They also issued a serial number (IL26-499).[6]
- June 6, 2025: The office of the Attorney General issued another ballot title and summary for another version of the initiative. This initiative was given the serial number IL26-001.[3]
- July 22, 2025: The office of the Attorney General issued another ballot title and summary for another version of the initiative. This initiative was given the serial number IL26-588.[7]
See also
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ This initiative has been filed three separate times with the secretary of state's office, by two different petitioners. For full texts and information of each version of the initiative petition, click here.
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "Initiative Measure No. IL26-499," May 22, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Washington Secretary of State, "IL26-001 Title and Summary," accessed June 17, 2025
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "Proposed Initiatives to the Legislature - 2025," accessed June 6, 2025
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "Ballot Title IL26-499," accessed June 17, 2025
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "Ballot Title IL26-588," accessed July 22, 2025
