While most parents provide loving, supportive, safe environments for their children, the sad reality is there were 117,000 reports of child abuse or neglect in Washington in 2024 alone. Voters need to be aware that I-001 on November’s ballot, an initiative backed by MAGA mega-donor Brian Heywood, threatens to put even more kids at risk.
I-001 would restore Let’s Go Washington’s so-called Parents’ Bill of Rights—a deeply flawed piece of legislation the Legislature had to fix in order to align with existing state law—and discourage students facing domestic violence, sexual abuse, or bullying at home from seeking help from trusted teachers and school counselors, who would be required to release students’ confidential records to their parental or guardian abusers. It would also force schools to knowingly put LGBTQ+ kids in increased danger of violence and homelessness by outing them to abusive families.
That’s why the Washington State Nurses Association, WA Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, law enforcement, doctors, teachers, dozens of parents’ organizations, and school counselors oppose this measure. I-001 further endangers already vulnerable child abuse victims by forcing schools to hand over sensitive information to parents under criminal investigation for raping, abusing, or otherwise harming their own child, according to a legal analysis from Pacifica Law.
But let me tell you why I’m going to vote No on I-001. I spent my high school years in Washington’s foster care system. Prior to that, I relied on school nurses and counselors to support me through the trauma I experienced at home.
My mom was physically and emotionally abusive, thanks in part to alcoholism. It was just the two of us; I didn’t have another adult I could talk to about what was happening. When I was in middle school, my teachers noticed something was wrong and that I needed help. They connected me with a school counselor named Mr. Parrot. (Yes, I still remember his name, but with a name like that, who could forget?) He was the first person I could talk to about my situation without fear it would get back to my mom. The counselor gave me information about Al-Anon, an organization that operates peer support groups for people who are impacted by another person’s alcoholism, and sources for confidential therapy.
This was a pivotal moment in my life. Accessing a safe space with school counselors gave me confidence that I could talk to people and take steps to get out of a bad situation. Without having an adult on my side, I would have probably stayed in an abusive household, and who knows how I would have ended up.
Knowing my abusive, controlling mother, if she’d had the option, she would have used the provisions of I-001 to get notes my school counselor took to better understand and support me through my situation, which would have severely exacerbated my circumstances at home.
For me, my identity wasn’t a factor when I sought help. But for kids who are gay or trans, or questioning who they are, I-001 will have a chilling effect during a time when more and more youth are experiencing serious mental health issues due to isolation during the pandemic, academic pressures, and social media.
While I don’t have children of my own right now, I’d like to be a foster parent someday. When you are trying to decide how to vote on this poorly written, harmful ballot initiative, I hope you’ll keep in mind the thousands of young children in our state who will be put at greater risk of harm, and even homelessness, if it passes.
Gabriel Neuman is policy and advocacy director at the GSBA, Washington State’s LGBTQ+ and Allied Business Association.
