When voters demanded transparency in schools, Democrats responded by gutting it and calling it “clarification.”

Democrats to Parents: “Your Kids Belong to the State Now”

Democrats in Olympia just couldn’t help themselves. After Washington voters overwhelmingly passed Initiative 2081 — the Parents’ Bill of Rights — lawmakers led by Rep. Monica Stonier decided they knew better. They rammed through House Bill 1296, a so-called “clarification” that effectively rewrites and weakens the initiative voters approved.

Now, a group of parents, educators, and school board members — backed by the Citizen Action Defense Fund — has filed a lawsuit arguing HB 1296 is flat-out unconstitutional. Their case says the law tramples parents’ fundamental rights to guide their children’s upbringing, violates religious freedom, breaks Washington’s “single subject” rule, and even conflicts with federal law guaranteeing parents access to education records.

What exactly does the new law do? It reduces parental access to student records, waters down notification requirements for medical or counseling services at school, and limits transparency over classroom materials. In other words, it turns “parental rights” into fine print.

Democrats are spinning it as a “student protection” measure, but parents see it for what it is — a state power grab over families. As one plaintiff put it, “We’re being told not to share information that parents have a right to know… that’s state interference in the family.”

Because in Democrat-run Washington, it’s not “parents’ rights” unless the state says so. Read more at Center Square.

King County’s “Who Needs Laws Anyway?” Hiring Spree

In a jaw-dropping display of government incompetence (and arrogance), King County just admitted that at least 38 corrections officers were hired and certified illegally — all without meeting the state’s immigration-eligibility requirements. Instead of firing them or owning up to the mess, the county plans to challenge the law itself, because why follow the rules when you can just rewrite them?

The scandal, first uncovered by The Jason Rantz Show, suggests the real number could top 100 officers. State law (RCW 43.101.095) is crystal clear: corrections officers must be U.S. citizens, lawful residents, or DACA recipients. But King County’s Department of Adult & Juvenile Detention (DAJD) apparently decided those pesky legal details were optional.

Even after the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission suspended some certifications, most of the unqualified officers are still on the job, guarding inmates while county officials scramble to call their blunder a “misinterpretation.”

Now, Democrats who run King County are reportedly coordinating with the Attorney General’s Office — yes, that same AG’s office that’s always busy shielding illegal immigrants — to weaken the law rather than enforce it. Because in blue-run Washington, laws aren’t boundaries… they’re suggestions. Read more at Seattle Red.

Reagan Dunn Paves Over Dow Constantine’s Asphalt Disaster

King County Council Vice Chair Reagan Dunn just scored a huge win for rural residents — and a major embarrassment for Executive Dow Constantine’s crew. The long-dreaded Cedar River asphalt plant is officially dead after eight years of community opposition and bureaucratic stubbornness.

Constantine’s administration originally greenlit the plant just 100 feet from the Cedar River, a move Dunn called a “land use siting mistake” that never made sense outside of Seattle’s echo chamber. Industrial zoning in a rural, environmentally sensitive area? Only under Democrat leadership could that sound like a good idea.

Instead of selling the land or hiking taxes, Dunn found a smarter solution: use existing conservation funds to preserve the property permanently and convert it into a public recreation area. No new taxes, no urban sprawl, and no asphalt fumes — just competent leadership and common sense.

Dunn also used the victory to highlight a familiar theme — Seattle-centric politics leaving rural communities behind. As he put it, “Most everything goes Seattle-centric… and I’m constantly battling that.”

With the County Council’s unanimous approval, Dunn’s win shows that when someone with actual backbone takes charge, even King County’s government can get something right. Read more at Seattle Red.

High Times, Low Standards: Washington’s Pot Policy Goes Up in Smoke

More than a decade after Washington Democrats led the charge to legalize recreational cannabis, the results are exactly what critics warned about: more youth use, more impaired driving, and less accountability.

New data from the Young Adult Health Survey shows that daily marijuana use among 18–25-year-olds keeps climbing, with 8% now using every day and 14% of 18–20-year-olds admitting they got their stash from — wait for it — their parents or caregivers. So much for “responsible adults.”

University of Washington researcher Jason Kilmer reports that pot use in this age group has increased yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily since legalization. Even worse, one in three users admits to driving within three hours of getting high, helping fuel a 156% surge in fatal crashes involving cannabis-impaired drivers aged 18 to 24.

And yet, despite the carnage, the same Democrats who pushed legalization keep underfunding prevention programs and dismissing the problem as “just weed.” After all, it’s easier to virtue signal about “equity in cannabis licensing” than to admit legalization made Washington’s roads deadlier and its kids higher.

Eleven years in, Washington’s pot experiment isn’t mellow — it’s a public safety disaster. Read more at Seattle Red.

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