Being a parent is nonstop hard work, making it challenging to stay on top of news that impacts families in Washington state. This Hits Home is your weekly hit of news, commentary, and, occasionally, opinion. Want to have a say? Look for the ‘Take action’ prompts. Here’s the update for the week of Feb. 23-March 1.

From The Hope Festival’s 2025 gathering (Image: The Hope Festival)

First a big hit of hope

Last April at the Seattle Convention Center, 350 Bellevue teens came together to offer care and service to 1,575 people — including kids — experiencing poverty and homelessness.

The teens and their community partners provided tangible supplies such as clothing, hygiene packs, and toys, as well as personal services, including foot care, haircuts, health screenings, and more. Organizers of The Hope Festival made kids and families feel welcome by providing free face painting, games, music, and a raffle — winners walked away with a brand-new laptop, bicycle, or gift basket.

But the most important thing the festival offered visitors was a glimmer of hope during difficult times.

The festival will return for its 12th year on April 25, this time at Bellevue Highland Center, with hundreds of teen volunteers serving the community. The event is expected to draw more than 1,000 visitors (the festival refers to them as “guests”) in need of free groceries, clothing, hygiene items, toys, books, haircuts, dental care, vaccinations, health screenings, and other services.

The festival was launched in 2014 by Eastlake High School freshman Tyler Zangaglia and friends. Students at the school have spearheaded the festival ever since, and many say they get as much as they give.

“I have been a director with Hopefest since my freshman year, and I am now a senior,” says Grace Musser, Hopefest director. “While each year is filled with planning and logistics, it’s always the final hours of the event where I feel the true meaning of this work.”

“One woman stood out to me specifically from the first event,” Musser said. “She hadn’t had a haircut in years. I remember her face as she wiped away tears of joy after looking in the mirror and seeing herself in a new light — as someone ‘renewed.’ That moment reminded me that dignity can come from something simple, and that service is as much about emotional healing as it is about physical needs.”

TAKE ACTION: Have something to contribute to The Hope Festival? Reach out to directors on Facebook or via email at thehopefestival@outlook.com.

A single dose of the MMR vaccine. (Image: Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

WA moves to issue its own guidance for vaccines insurers must cover

Washington joined several Western states when they broke last fall from federal vaccine guidance following U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reshaping of the nation’s long-standing advisory panel on immunizations.

Now state lawmakers are moving to make that shift permanent.

On Thursday, the Washington Legislature approved a bill changing state law so that insurance coverage for vaccines will be tied to recommendations issued by Washington health officials — not to guidance from a federal advisory committee that has undergone significant changes under Kennedy’s leadership.

The newly passed legislation directs insurers operating in Washington to follow vaccine recommendations issued at the state level. Supporters say the move ensures stability and science-based continuity for families, particularly as national vaccine policy undergoes changes.

The move reflects a broader effort by Washington leaders to retain local control over public health decisions affecting children and families, rather than tying coverage mandates to shifting federal policies.

It now goes to Gov. Bob Ferguson’s desk for signature. Read the full Washington State Standard article.

TAKE ACTION: Should HB 2242 become state law? Make your voice heard by reaching out to Gov. Bob Ferguson’s office.

Gun found at an Eastside School last year. (Photo: Bellevue Police Department)

Governor Ferguson’s budget proposed would cut firearm safety and violence prevention funding in half

Last year, 24 children were shot in King County, according to the county’s 2025 Year-End Shots Fired Review. Between 2020  and 2024, data from the Washington Office of Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention (OFSVP) Injury Dashboard shows over 1,000 firearm-related injuries among children ages 0–17 across the state. OFSVP is the state’s arm for implementing evidence-based strategies to reduce gun violence across the state.

It’s also an office whose $8.6 million budget will be cut by more than half if lawmakers approve the 2025-27 supplemental biennial budget proposed by Gov. Bob Ferguson before the current legislative session ends March 12.

Such a reduction could have a devastating impact for Washington’s children, say the more than 26 organizations that signed on to a letter last week urging lawmakers to nix the proposed cut.

“Washington State’s Safe Storage and Suicide Prevention programs are poised to be entirely eliminated under this budget,” says Gregory Joseph, Alliance for Gun Responisibity communications director. “We know that states with strong storage practices report a 13% reduction in youth firearm suicide and a 17% decrease in firearm homicides committed by youth.” 

OFSVP also supports community-based intervention suicide prevention and violence prevention programs with grant funding, training, and gun violence data tracking. The office has partnered with Seattle Children’s Hospital and other organizations to distribute more than 5,600 safe storage devices across Washington.

“We demand our leaders in Washington protect all funding approaches that increase access to these life-saving devices,” Joseph said.

Cutting OFSVP funds to balance the budget will cost Washington families far more, in both personal pain and money, in the long-run. According to research by Everytown USA, gun violence costs $11.9 billion each year in Washington state—$171.7 million of it paid by taxpayers.

TAKE ACTION: Should lawmakers reduce the budget deficit by cutting the Office of Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention (OFSVP) budget? Make your voice heard by reaching out to your representatives in the state House and Senate. 

Kids prefer nstructured play (image: iStock.com)

As kids adapt to boredom, unstructured fun rises again

Here’s important information parents who spend a lot of time planning organized activities for their kids: 

At least 45% of children surveyed say they’d take unstructured time (like playing outside with friends or joining pick-up games) over organized or adult-led activities like team sports. The Harris Poll, which surveyed 500 U.S. children between the ages of 8 and 12, also found:

• Almost three-quarters (72%) of 8 to 12-year-olds say they would rather spend most of their time together doing things in person, without screens (rather than spend most of their time together on screens and devices).
• 30% said they would participate in an organized activity or class, like soccer, dance, or karate
• 25% said they would participate in an online activity with their friends, such as playing video games
• 61% want to play with friends in person without adults
• 87% wish they could spend more time with their friends in person outside of school

The bottom line? Kids want freedom to play and to connect live with their peers. 

But the survey is old news, released in 2025, what gives?

I bring it to you now after reading an article last week in The Seattle Times that explains the science behind and benefits of free play for kids, noting a January 2026 clinical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics that confirms unstructured play helps kids develop executive function skills. The article brings the “old news” poll story up to date: Turns out parents. communities and schools are all on board with kids having more unstructured time.  Read full story in The Seattle Times.

Measles blisters (Image: iStock.com)

Essay Review: “This is How a Child Dies of Measles”

What could happen when two unvaccinated children in one family are exposed to the measles virus? I say “could,” because the worst outcomes from this preventable disease will not befall every infected child. According to National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, about 1 to 3 out of every 1,000 children who get measles will die from it, even with medical care, because of severe complications like pneumonia and encephalitis. As a recnt essay in The Atlantic makes clear, if that child is your child, there is no number or percentage to measure the pain.  

The piece, written by Elizabeth Berg, is not about a specific parent or children. It is a heavily researched, fictionalized, hypothetical about a family experience based on extensive interviews with physicians who have cared directly for patients with measles. 

It left me gasping for breath. If you’ve followed this column, it’s likely not news that I personally believe in vaccination and in the recommendations by public health departments in King County and Washington that children get a first dose of the MMR vaccine between 12 and 15 months of age. 

But it doesn’t matter what I think. It matters what parents know and understand about the scientific evidence behind the vaccine and the disease. Hypothetical thought it may be, “This is How a Child Dies of Measles” offers a hard look at a parent’s worst nightmare: a child dying of a preventable disease.

If there were ever a must read for an actively spreading disease, this is it.’

The Great Listen: What happens when a school rumor ends in a teacher’s suicide?

Remember the first gripping story in the Peabody Award-winning investigative journalism podcast Seriel hosted by Sarah Koenig? It felt like everybody was tuned in. 

It’s got competition in a new series that launched on KUOW’s immersive audio documentary channel, Focus. Last week, the station introduced the first episode of “Adults in the Room,” a series about events, including the suicide of a beloved teacher, that  happened during the1999-2000 school year Seattle’s Garfield High School. KUOW’s managing editor Isolde Raftery reports the story, one in which she was a primary player. 

That year, Raftery and a fellow student heard a rumor about Hudson and when police didn’t respond, they decided to investigate it themselves. The story is a lesson in what happens when adults work to protect an educator and fellow students turn on their peers. In the podcast, Raftery returns to the investigation that was sidelined and vilified after the suicide. In the words of the podcast set up: “What really happened that year? Was a whole school community groomed by a charismatic predator? Or was [Raftery] part of a whisper campaign that cost the life of a great teacher?” If episode one is any indication, this series is likely to keep parents and teens riveted. Listen to KUOW’s “Adults in the Room.’

While your at KUOW.org….

Transgender pride flag (Image: Alxey Pnferov)

How will trans youth navigate a state with less gender-affirming medical care? 

The first inklings that Rebecca might be trans surfaced when she was in the sixth grade. They evolved to certainly for now 15-year-old who lives with her family in Tacoma, according to Eilís O’Neill’s report last week on KUOW.com. Over the next several years, with the support of her family and medical providers at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital, Rebecca began taking puberty blockers and then estrogen injections . 

Then, last month, Mary Bridge closed its Gender Health Clinic. How is the Trump administration’s attack on gender-affirming medical care for tweens and teens impacting the kids who need it align their inside with their outside? O’Neill’s report puts a real face on the declining availability of such care in Puget Sound. Read it online at KUOW.

(Image: Thai Liang Lim)

New study finds majority of teens us AI for schoolwork

Some interesting numbers from recent surveys and research:

• A study of 3,000 responses by AI chatbots released in the fall by  the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the BBC found that about 45 % contained at least one significant error.
• Another even broader evaluation by Statisca found that around 48 % of responses were inaccurate with around 17 % containing significant errors. 
• Research conducted in India shows some specialized tasks show error rates 70 % or higher.

Despite those disturbing numbers, more than half  U.S. teens ages 13-17 surveyed for a new study out of the Pew Research Center said they use A.I. chatbots for schoolwork. One-in-ten teens admitted to using chatbot help on all or most of that work. The study included 1,458 teenagers and at least one parent per teen. 

Exactly how do they use bots?

• Approximately four-in-10 turn to a bot to summarize articles, books or videos or create or edit images or videos. 
• Approximately one-in-five say they AI to get news
• Approximately four-in-10 durig to AI for topic research or math help.
• 35% of teens surveyed used AI to help edit something they wrote. 
• 59% of participants believe cheating with AI in school happens regularly.
• Teens are slightly more likely to believe AI will have a positive impact on them than on society (36% vs. 31% thinking the impact will be negative).
• About 25% of teens feel  “extremely” or “very” confident about how they navigate AI. 

The findings are more evidence of  the need for  policymakers and technology companies to design, regulate, and oversee AI and social media to not only protect kids from addictive platforms and to provide accurate information.

Washington House Bill 1834, a proposal that would have barred social media companies from serving so-called “addictive feeds” to minors and  restricted platforms from sending push notifications to kids overnight or during school hours without a parent’s consent has failed in the current session..

Signs with information about climate change and Indigenous history removed from Acadia National Park (Image: Jay Elhard / NPS)

Why are we erasing history and science at our National Parks | Op-Ed

Here’s an important part of how history was made real to me as a child — and how I, along with my kids’ dad, helped it come alive for our children:

Whenever we traveled — especially in national parks and at roadside historic markers — we stopped and read the signs. We read about geological changes, the impact of American industry on nature, increasing scientific understanding of climate change, and — on many signs and displays — how the country’s roads, rails, parks, and other landmarks were shaped by devastating, racist treatment of Native Americans, enslaved Africans, Black Americans, immigrants, prisoners, and other marginalized communities.

When our family stopped, we moved around the signs, trying to feel their truth beneath our feet and imagine that history. Then we talked about it together. These signs and displays taught us — especially our children — a deeper respect for the land and for the backs upon which this country was industrialized. They sparked interest in science and empathy — both essential if we hope not to repeat the country’s worst moments.

And yet, nearly a year ago, President Donald Trump issued an executive order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” decrying what Trump called “the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology.” The order directs federal agencies overseeing museums, parks, monuments, and landmarks to ensure public spaces do not “inappropriately disparage Americans past or living.”

Critics argue that the order has led to the review, removal, or revision of interpretive signage and exhibits addressing slavery, Indigenous displacement, civil rights history, and climate change at national park sites across the country.

According to the democracy and civil liberties organization Democracy Forward, the National Park Service began flagging and removing interpretive signs in early 2025. Public reporting and legal filings state that signs referencing slavery, climate change, and Native American history have been removed from at least 17 national park sites nationwide, with additional exhibits flagged for review. There have been no confirmed reports, to date, of signage removals at Washington State national park sites.

Last week, several organizations filed a lawsuit seeking to halt further removals, arguing that the administration’s actions threaten the National Park Service’s mission to preserve and interpret the full history and scientific record of the United States.

In an article published by Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB), Alan Spears, Senior Director of Cultural Resources for the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), summed up concerns about signage removal or censoring this way:

“National parks serve as living classrooms for our country, where science and history come to life for visitors. As Americans, we deserve national parks that tell stories of our country’s triumphs and heartbreaks alike. We can handle the truth.” The NPCA is among the litigants challenging the policy.

What more can I say than “HEAR, HEAR!” 

Not only can we and our children handle the truth, it is critical to our freedom and democracy that we — especially our children — do.

The recent lawsuit speaks to the right of all of us to learn about the many communities, people, histories, and scientific realities — good and bad — that brought us to today and help guide tomorrow.

TAKE ACTION: Do you have an opinion about censoring signage in national parks, museums, monuments and other sites? Reach out to your lawmakers in Congress at Congress.gov. Contact the Pacific West National Parks Service. Share your position by reaching out to the U.S. President.

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The post This Hits Home: News of impact to Washington families appeared first on Seattle's Child.

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson (Image: Seattle Mayor’s Office)

Family needs are a focus of Seattle Mayor’s first ‘State of the City’ address

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson gave her first “state of the city” speech last week at the Hughes Performing Arts Institute, laying out her plan for addressing the City’s affordability, child care, food cost, safety, and other parent concerns.  

Addressing gun violence: Following the recent shooting deaths of two teens, Wilson said her office will convene a panel of local and national experts to develop a strategy to address Seattle  gun violence that “is tailored to the needs of our neighborhoods and communities.”

Child care: Wilson said “It’s time we started treating child care and early education as public goods, accessible and affordable to all — just like our parks, schools and utilities. My administration will be pursuing this vision.”

Rising food costs: “The rising cost of food in particular has been a challenge for families that are already struggling,” Wilson said. “We have to start treating food access as core community infrastructure.” She added that, among other ideas, the City is exploring the idea of a public grocery store. 

On history and hope: Wilson noted the importance of Black History Month and that Ramadan is also celebrated in February this year: “In this season of reflection and new beginnings, I am so hopeful about what we can accomplish together. But that doesn’t mean I look at the city through rose-colored glasses,” Wilson said. 

“The hope I feel comes from history. From looking at an institution like this one here – how it’s evolved over time and overcome challenges to become what it is today. And from recognizing how that history lets us better imagine what is possible.” Read the full story at Seattleschild.com.

​​https://www.seattleschild.com/seattle-mayor-state-of-city-family-priorities/

TAKE ACTION: Have ideas for how Mayor Wilson’s administration can address your family’s and community’s housing, child care, food cost or other needs? Contact Wilson and let her know.

Class at Jose Mari Child Development Center in Seattle (Image: Joshua Huston)

Join the ‘Community Conversation’ about Seattle’s child care, K-12 student safety

Wondering what the City of Seattle has in store for improving child care and preschool access, keeping school-age kids safe and mentally healthy, and ensuring every kid gets a chance to go to college? Make a list of your questions and get ready to talk with city leaders on Tuesday.

Join the Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) for family-friendly “Community Conversation” about how it plans to spend income from the $1.3 billion Families, Education, Preschool & Promise Levy (FEPP), the property tax approved by voters in November.  The “Community Conversation” is a kid-friendly event and includes free dinner, activities for kids, and interpretation services. Details: Feb. 24, 5:3˛ 0-7:30 p.m. at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center, 104 17th Ave. S, Seattle. 

TAKE ACTION: Registration is required due to limited space. Sign up now. 

(Image: Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs)

 WA lawmakers advance bill restricting ICE access to schools

Legislation to force federal immigration agents to get court orders before entering schools and health care facilities cleared the Washington Senate on Thursday.

Senate Bill 5906 covers “nonpublic areas,” including preschools, K-12 schools, and health facilities. It also prohibits early learning providers and school district employees from collecting information about the immigration status of students and their families. It echoes Seattle Public Schools policies already in place and which were clarified earlier this month following a southend school lockdown. After that incident, district leaders also updated guidance for school principals and other leaders on how to handle unverified reports of ICE at or near schools. Read the SPS policies here.

TAKE ACTION: Do you have an opinion or stance on SB 5906? Make your voice heard by reaching out to your representatives in the state House and Senate. 

Baby receiving Vitamin K shot soon after birth (Image: iStock.com)

More parents are rejecting Vit K for their newborn, despite the risks

A new study published in the January issue of JAMA, the journal of the American Medical Association, found that the number of parents declining to give their newborns a vitamin K shot or eye drops at birth has increased. In 2017, less than three percent of parents declined Vitamin K. In 2024 more than five percent said no.

Vitamin K supports normal blood clotting and newborns are born with decient and breast milk is not an adequate source of it. Dosing a baby in the hours after birth protects them from potentially life-threatening hemorrhage. Not dosing at birth could have catastrophic results, which is why the single injection at birth has been recommended for six decades. 

If you are pregnant, or know of a pregnant person, consider this: 

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) both recommend that all newborns receive a single intramuscular (IM) vitamin K injection shortly after birth to prevent vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB). Currently in the U.S., there is no FDA-approved standard oral vitamin K regimen for newborns, but the most common international oral regimen is two milligrams at birth, followed by two milligrams at 4-7 days, followed by 2 milligrams at 4–6 weeks. Consult with your pediatrician regarding oral vitamin K.

The most common side effects are minor and include temporary pain or redness at the shot site (usually the thigh), mild swelling or bruising, or short-term fussiness. Allergic reactions or infection are rare. 

The risks of not giving your newborn the shot are also rare, but could be catastrophic. The risk of late VKDB is 1 in 14,000-25,000 births. Between 30% and 60% of infants with VKDB brain hemorrhage. Read more about what doctors are seeing in The New York Times.

Seattle University (Image: Another Believer CC BY-SA 4.0)

Bill to boost financial aid for students at WA’s private colleges moves out of Senate

Washington students attending private colleges could soon receive more help covering tuition, after the state Senate voted Tuesday to restore scholarship funding that was scaled back last year.

Washington Senate Bill 5828, sponsored by T’wina Nobles, D-Fircrest, would boost funding levels within the Washington College Grant and College Bound Scholarship for students enrolled at private institutions. The move effectively rolls back part of Washington Senate Bill 5785, which reduced the state’s contribution for private college tuition support while leaving public college funding unchanged.

The proposal does not expand eligibility or add new recipients. Instead, Nobles said, it restores balance after earlier cuts — reinforcing “fairness and stability” for families and encouraging students to pursue the college option that best fits their goals, whether public or private.

TAKE ACTION: Reach out to your representatives in the state House and Senate. 

(Image: Alexander Castro at Rhode Island Current)

More bills to protect kids bite the dust, won’t go further this year

While other bills sailed on, yet another cut-off day to move bills forward came and went last week, leaving many bills to protect kids on the cutting room floor. Among the proposals that won’t go forward: 

House Bill 1834 would have barred social media companies from serving so-called “addictive feeds” to minors. It also would have restricted platforms from sending push notifications to kids overnight or during school hours without a parent’s consent.

In a statement, Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown chided lawmakers for failing to pass “a commonsense proposal” to protect children online. “We will not stop pursuing policies that can save young people’s lives,” Brown said.

Senate Bill 6308, Senate Bill 6319, and  House Bill 1544 sought to address the child safety crisis at Washington’s Child Protective Services (CPS) by, among other things, requiring stronger court monitoring of CPS cases involving children under 5 who remain at home with their parents and by creating a community-based referral system connecting families to services in cases involving children under 4 and exposure to high-potency synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.

House Bill 1152, would have established requirements for safe storage of firearms in vehicles and residences. In the meantime, a bill to ban guns in parks and other locations kids frequent (SB 5098) and another to ban use of 3D printers to create firearms (HB 2320) are still in the running.

House Bill 2389 sought to address overloaded juvenile detention facilities by, among other things, easing criminal sentencing for youth.

TAKE ACTION: Are the lost bills ones you care about and want to see brought to the 2027 session of the state legislature? Reach out to your representatives in the state House and Senate. 

(Image: iStock.com)

In the meantime, millionaires’ tax bill keeps on moving, approved by state Senate

As other bills were gleaned and left behind, Senate Bill 6346 — dubbed the “millionaires’ tax” by supporters because it would impose a 9.9% levy on personal income above $1 million annually —took another big step forward last week. It was approved by the full Senate on a 27–22 vote after hours of debate over whether the policy would make the state’s tax code fairer or risk an exodus of wealthy residents. 

The proposal now heads to the House. If approved there and signed by Gov. Ferguson, the tax, estimated to add $3 billion a year to state coffers, would apply to household income, meaning married couples and registered domestic partners with combined earnings over that threshold would be subject to the surcharge. Would passage help kids in Washington? Child welfare and education advocates think so. 

TAKE ACTION: Make your voice heard on the “millionaire’s” tax,” SB 6346. Reach out to your representatives in the state House and Senate. 

The Rev. Jesse Jackson in 1983. (Image: Warren K. Leffler)

Black History Month: Teach your children about the Rev. Jesse Jackson

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a leader of the The Civil Rights Movement in America, a mentee of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and an unofficial diplomat and champion of Black History Month, died last week. 

The passing of a Black leader who spent his life advocating for the poor and underrepresented is a teachable moment: an opportunity to sit down with your kids, no matter their age, and discuss his example of peaceful protest as a way to move a nation forward toward good for all. Read more about the Rev. Jesse Jackson in The Seattle Times.

Most important, Jackson popularized the empowering phrase, ‘I am Somebody,” from the poem of the same title by civil rights activist Rev. William Holmes Borders, Sr. Jackson integrated those words into many speeches to encourage Black pride and uplift the poor, young, BIPOC and other marginalized communities. Here’s that poem—and its critical sentiments— in full.

I am Somebody

By Rev. William Holmes Borders, Sr.

I am Somebody!
I am Somebody!
I may be poor,
But I am Somebody.
I may be young,
But I am Somebody.
I may be on welfare,
But I am Somebody.
I may be small,
But I am Somebody.
I may have made mistakes,
But I am Somebody.
My clothes are different,
My face is different,
My hair is different,
But I am Somebody.
I am Black,
Brown,or white.
I speak a different language
But I must be respected,
Protected,
Never rejected.
I am God’s child!

(Image: Courtesy White Center HUB)

White Center ‘HUB’ is community space designed for families and gathering 

White Center families have a new place to gather — and, for many, a new place to call home. On Jan. 24, the long-anticipated White Center HUB (Hope, Unity and Belonging) community center opened its doors beside the new Canopy Apartments, marking years of organizing and advocacy by neighbors.

The HUB is built to serve daily life: a health clinic, coffee shop, recording studio and maker space, all woven around outdoor play areas and space to simply sit and connect. The design is intentional: housing and services, creativity and stability, all in one place, built for the families. Read all about it in the South Seattle Emerald.

Kids deserve federal and state pot regulations | Op-Ed

Have children in the house? Lock up edibles or other cannabis, add this symbol and teach your kids what it means danger. (Graphic: Washington Poison Control)

Last week I read an opinion by the New York Times editorial board that gave me pause, and left me shaking my head in agreement. 

The editors pointed out that daily marijuana use in the U.S. has climbed from about six million in 2012 to nearly 18 million today—as has the number of people (youth and adults) with pot-related illness and marijuana-linked paranoia and chronic psychotic disorders. 

And another number has also risen. According to a 2023 study published in the journal Pediatrics, the number of edible cannabis exposures among children under age 6 increased by about 1,375 % from 2017 (207)  to 2021 (3,054). According to Washington Poison Center, “One of the most common calls we receive about cannabis is little kids mistaking an edible for candy.” 

The bottom line for the NYT editors? They still support legalization. But there position has evolved and they now say the feds need to step in—with a federal tax on pot, by restricting high THC and other harmful types of marijuana and and by “cracking down” on spurious and unproven health claims about weed. 

Thankfully, Washington has been been forerunner in two of those three areas. In this state, pot is subject to a 37 % cannabis excise tax along with regular sales tax (state + local), making Washington one of the heavier taxing states for legal cannabis. And while the state does not limit THC concentration in marijuana flowers and concentrates, it does limit each edible “serving” to no more than 10 milligrams of THC. In fact, Oregon lawmakers are considering mirror legislation right now to prohibit the sale of individual edibles that have more than 10 milligrams of THC. According to a report in the Washington State Standard last week, in 2023, children ages newborn to 5 made up one-third of all cannabis-related cases reported to the Oregon Poison Center. 

There’s good news when it comes to cannabis. Over the last decade teen use rates have not risen in King County or Washington state. They have gone down by most measures.  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports declines in current cannabis use among King County students (grades 8/10/12) from 2008–2021; the Washington Department of Health’s 2023 Healthy Youth Survey notes youth substance use stayed mostly stable post-pandemic, with current cannabis use around 8% among 10th graders. 

President Donald Trump supports states’ rights to legalize pot. For once, I agree with him. If alcohol—despite its well-documented health and social harms—is legal and regulated, then marijuana should be treated the same way.  I believe that added federal regulation of THC levels (my vote would be for lowering it to 5% in individual edibles), is an important next step and would go miles to discourage weed companies from creating new, stronger strains. Cannabis has gotten significantly stronger over the last 20 years—cannabis growing is a business and it’s bottom line is money, not addiction control. And yet, research shows the newer strains of pot are addictive—and that most addiction begins with teen use.

Cannabis companies don’t care if a new strain is strong or addictive. They care about making money. 

For now, if you have cannabis at home, heed the poison center’s warning, no matter how old your kids are: “Keep your kiddos safe by always storing your stash up high, out of their reach, and locked up.”

TAKE ACTION: Do  you have an opinion about whether the federal government should legalize but regulate and tax cannabis? Make your voice heard. Contact your members of Congress.

The Good Reads: For the karate-chopping kid in all of us

New Bruce Lee Forever stamp (Image: USPS)

A generation before Hollywood routinely cast Asian American leads, Bruce Lee lit up movie screens with his fast, fierce mastery of martial arts. Not only did Lee prove non-white actors could carry a film, he encouraged millions of kids to jump up on the couch and karate chop their way to dinner. 

Fifty years later, kids are still chopping air as Lee’s choreography and camera work emphasizing speed, fluidity, and realism remain a mainstay of action films today.

This week, the United States Postal Service made Lee’s legacy official. During a festive event in  Seattle’s Chinatown International District, the agency unveiled the new Bruce Lee stamp, part of the postal service’s Forever stamp series. Lee, a one-time Seattleite, is buried at Lake View Cemetery on Capitol Hill, a spot that lures tens of thousands of fans of all ages every year. 

A win for writing? Perhaps the new Bruce Lee stamp will inspire your karate kids to write more letters to their grandparents!

The post This Hits Home: News that impacts Washington families appeared first on Seattle's Child.

Gun violence

“I want to start by acknowledging one of the hardest things that’s happened this year in Seattle: the loss of the two Rainier Beach high school students late last month who were shot and killed while waiting for the bus after school. We have also recently seen deadly shootings in the Chinatown International District, and in Pioneer Square.

My team and I have spent time grieving with victims’ families, connecting with community members, and talking about the changes that we need to make as a city. How can students be expected to learn if you are worried, as one young woman told me, that if you leave school for lunch you might never come back? How can you be expected to concentrate in class if you’re living in a constant state of grief or fear? How can you be expected to thrive when you’ve seen so much tragedy and not nearly enough hope, opportunity, and joy? We have to do better for our kids.”

Wilson said her office will convene a panel of local and national experts to develop a strategy to address Seattle  gun violence that “is tailored to the needs of our neighborhoods and communities.”

Child care

“I myself have had trouble affording childcare … Right now there are so many gaps where so many children and so many families don’t have the support they need, and our whole society pays the price. Parents are stressed, kids struggle, and working families move out of the city because they can’t afford to build a life here.”

Wilson applauded the City’s Department of Education and Early Learning and its award-winning Seattle Preschool and Child Care Assistance programs: “We’ve already been doing a lot right in this area. That’s encouraging, but it’s also a little unnerving that we are seen as leading. Because any parent would tell you there’s so much more to be done. It just underscores how far the US lags behind many other countries in our support for families.,” Wilson said.

“We need to bring down the cost of childcare, expand our pre-K program and summer enrichment opportunities, and make sure the people who are doing this work are paid enough to raise a family themselves. We also need to make it easier to site, start, and run childcare  facilities in Seattle.

“It’s time we started treating childcare and early education as public goods, accessible and affordable to all — just like our parks, schools, and utilities. My administration will be pursuing this vision as we begin to implement the Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise levy voters passed last year, as well as identifying new resources and partnerships that can take us even further.”

Check out Wilson’s and former Mayor Bruce Harrell’s thoughts on increasing child care in “Think Out of the Box: Two mayors consider Seattle’s child care needs.”

Rising food costs

“The high inflation of the past few years hit us all hard. The rising cost of food, in particular, has been a challenge for families that are already struggling.

“When the Kroger Corporation decided to close the Lake City Fred Meyer last year, it further highlighted the importance of ensuring access to fresh, affordable food. The recent closure of the grocery store at 23rd & Jackson created a second new food desert in the Central District. Grocery stores are essential community assets—they support daily life, local jobs, access to healthy food, and neighborhood stability.

“We have to start treating food access as core community infrastructure.  One important step in that direction that long pre-dates my administration is the Fresh Bucks program, which helps low-income Seattle residents afford fruits and vegetables at participating farmers’ markets, independent grocers, and supermarkets. As of this year, we have increased monthly benefits and cleared the waitlist, and Fresh Bucks is now supporting more than 17,000 households.

“Our Office of Planning and Community Development, the Office of Economic Development, and the Office of Sustainability and Environment are exploring a variety of approaches around how the city can work with private partners and the grocery workers union to help protect good jobs and expand access to affordable food. We are also looking at new and alternative grocery models that better fit different community needs. That’s all a long-winded way of saying we’re looking at a public grocery store, and other ideas as well.

“Everyone deserves reliable, affordable access to fresh food in their own neighborhoods, and we’ll be working to make that vision a reality.”

Community centers

“This Saturday (Feb. 21), we’re reopening the Hiawatha Community Center in West Seattle after a 6-year closure. The new South Park Community Center will be opening this year, too, and there’s going to be a spray park there, which is pretty great, because my daughter and I always have fun at a spray park.

“Community centers are such an important part of our neighborhoods – they’re places where people can gather, families can enjoy themselves, and you can connect across generations and cultures, without having to spend any money if you don’t want to.”

On history and hope

“This year marks the 100th anniversary of the first declaration that February is a month to honor the history, experiences, and power of America’s Black and African American communities. Here in Seattle, Black communities built neighborhoods, institutions, businesses, and social movements that continue to define who we are. And Black History Month calls us not only to remember, and to celebrate – but to act.

“We are in a moment when our rights are under attack from so many directions. When it feels like, at a national level, we are moving backwards. When it can feel impossible to believe our country will ever emerge from the storm clouds.

:In these moments, it is so important to look to history and to recognize that we have stood at similar junctures many times before. And to remember how much has been achieved through social movements that emerged in the toughest times, brought people together, and won transformative change.

:This month also marks the beginning of Ramadan and Lent, which are both times of fasting, prayer, reflection, and charity. And today is Lunar New Year, which is a time for renewal, for family, and to welcome the spring.

“In this season of reflection and new beginnings, I am so hopeful about what we can accomplish together. But that doesn’t mean I look at the city through rose-colored glasses. The hope I feel comes from history. From looking at an institution like this one here, how it’s evolved over time and overcome challenges to become what it is today. And from recognizing how that history lets us better imagine what is possible.”

Read the full speech. 

The post Family needs are a focus of Seattle Mayor’s first ‘State of the City’ address appeared first on Seattle's Child.

SPS expands highly capable program to two more schools

With Seattle Public School highly capable services available in only one elementary, middle, and high school in Seattle, parents and teachers have long voiced concern over inequitable access to specialized educational programs for K-12 students who perform or show potential to perform at significantly advanced academic levels. 

The district announced last week that, as of next September, the highly capable program will also be available at Rainier View Elementary in South Seattle and Alki Elementary in West Seattle. They join programs at Thurgood Marshall Elementary, Washington Middle School, and Garfield High School in the city’s Central District. 

“These new sites are a direct response to what we heard during our community engagement sessions—families and educators asked for services closer to home,” wrote Paula Montgomery, drirector of SPS’ Highly Capable program, in an email to parents. She added the program gained 700 students this year.

Which site a student would be assigned do depends on their home school elementary boundary: 

• Rainier View Elementary will serve Emerson, Rainier View, Dunlap, Wing Luke, MLK, Graham Hill, South Shore, Dearborn Park, Maple, and Rising Star elementaries. 
• Alki Elementary will serve Lafayette, Alki, Genesse Hill, Fairmount Park, Gatewood, West Seattle Elementary, Sanislo, Concord, Highland Park, Roxhill, and Arbor Heights elementarie. 
• And, Thurgood Marshall Elementary will serve Hawthorne, Montlake, McGilvra, Stevens, Lowell, Madrona, Leschi, Bailey Gatzert, Beacon Hill, Thurgood Marshall, Kimball, and John Muir elementaries.

Montgomery also clarified for kids already in highly capable classrooms: “Families with students currently attending Thurgood Marshall also have the option to remain through 5th grade.  Additionally, there is no further action needed for families who would like to remain at their current school.”

Results for highly capable entrance assessments for the 2026–27 school year are out this month, and SPS has extended the enrollment window for all five locations for current and newly identified advanced learners through Feb. 28. Late applications will be accepted through March 31. Learn more about the district’s distribution of highly capable students in this article from The Seattle Times. 

(Image of courtesy The Reptile Zoo)

Good-bye to The Reptile Zoo, again

It’s for sure this time: The Reptile Zoo, a popular haunt for reptile-loving kids since 1996, will close its doors permanently on Feb. 16.

The once-busy 7,000-square-foot roadside menagerie in Monroe first announced its closure last October. Zoo owner Isaac Petersen said then that the attraction suffered during the pandemic and has since been burdened by rising costs. The October media coverage drew visitors to the zoo on Highway 2, leading to a brief comeback that ends this week.

There’s no going back this time. Zoo owners have rehomed most of their animals—although some are still available. If your family has the know-how and space, you mightconsider contacting the zoo. Read the whole story at Seattleschild.com

Should phones be banned at the state level? (Image: iStock.com)

Should WA follow the stateside cellphone ban trend? 

Washington state does not currently have a statewide law that outright bans cellphones in schools. Here, we allow school districts to make their own restrictions (or not) on student use of cellphones and other mobile devices. And all districts in the state have some form of restriction or ban in place to stop kids from using devices in class or on school grounds.

But a statewide no cellphone rule? Not here, not yet. But if the momentum behind statewide cellphone bans and restrictions in schools continues, maybe one day Washington will follow suit. 

According to a recent report by Stateline, the nonprofit news network, more than half of states (38 states and Washington, D.C.) have enacted a state-level law that restricts cellphone use in schools. And teachers, superintendents and education experts are waving flags of praise and celebration. They connect state-level policies to increased student attention and learning, improved student mental health, and stronger school communities.

For those states, the legislative question is: for how much of the school day should distracting devices be inaccessible to students?

Currently in Washington, which falls smack in the middle of two major student achievement scales and still has many students struggling with math and reading, the state legislature is considering a measure that addresses cellphone use in school. 

On Feb. 11, the Senate fast-tracked and approved Senate Bill 5346, which would task the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) with gathering research, best practices, and district policies on limiting use of mobile devices in schools. The measure would help districts develop strong cellphone policies. So no statewide ban this year. For us, the question remains, “Is the decision to ban cellphones in schools really a local issue?”

TAKE ACTION: Do you have an opinion on whether a ban on cellphone use in schools should be mandated by state law? I’d love to hear it. Email me at cheryl@seattleschild.com. You have a voice on SB 5346: reach out to your representatives in the state House and Senate.

Greenhouse gas causing car exhaust (Image: iStock.com)

Speaking of flowers …and Trump’s reversal of climate change protections

If it feels like spring is arriving earlier each year— or lingering longer — in Seattle, you’re not imagining it. Long-term weather data from stations across Washington show that last frost dates are creeping earlier, and those first truly warm days are appearing earlier on the calendar. Scientists call it “season creep.” Over the past century, the Northwest has steadily warmed, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Climate Change Impacts in the Northwest webpage.

And, as the Washington Department of Health points out, climate change means the pollen Washington now starts about 20 days earlier and stretches roughly a month longer than it did three decades ago.

So yes, Virginia, er, President Donald Trump, climate change is real. Just ask NASA and the National Academy of Sciences, whose evidence-based research finds a clear and inarguable link.

And yet, last week, Trump revoked the Obama-era foundation for federal climate protections in the U.S. — a scientific finding that said greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane endanger public health and welfare. That “endangerment finding” was what allowed the federal government to regulate vehicle tailpipe emissions and other greenhouse gas pollution under the Clean Air Act, and its undoing removes that legal basis. And unless Congress acts, or courts block the change, the country will not be able to regulate the single largest source of greenhouse gases.

Trump says it will lower consumer costs and expand vehicle choice. Climate scientists and environmental advocates warn that it undermines decades of climate progress and weakens the country’s ability to slow global warming and protect public health.

You’ve got kids. Your kids, grandkids, and their progeny will inherit the planet. What do you think about one of the most far-reaching decisions of the Trump administration?

TAKE ACTION: I want to hear how you feel about the revocation of the endangerment finding; what concerns do you have, if any? Email me at Cheryl@seattleschild.com. Do you think Congress needs to take action on this issue? Make your voice heard. Contact your members of Congress.

Dr. Soleil Boyd, executive director of Children’s Alliance speaks in Olympia in January (Image: Children’s Alliance)

Could a ‘millionaires tax’ be an investment in a future for all families?

The bill that would impose a 9.9% tax on Washingtonians who earn more than $1 million in a year was passed out of the Senate Ways and Means Committee last week for consideration by the full Senate. If passed by the full legislature and signed into law by Gov. Bob Ferguson, Senate Bill 6346, (the “millionaires tax,”) would start collecting about  $3.5 billion a year in 2028, with some exemptions and restrictions. In response, Washington’s largest statewide nonprofit children’s advocacy group, Children’s Alliance, threw its full support behind the potential tax.

“Revenue from this tax would primarily go into the state’s General Fund to support vital programs and services like health care and education,” Dr. Soleil Boyd, Children’s Alliance executive director wrote in a Seattle’s Child op-ed on Friday. The tax, Boyd wrote, is a key to stopping the cycle of cutting vital programs in times of state budget deficit only to refund them in better financial times.

“This year, many critical programs are at risk of funding cuts and delays – but one stands out: early learning,” she wrote. “Cuts to early learning make up 40% of all proposed cuts in the budget, which would cause thousands of families to lose access to care and leave early learning providers without the necessary resources to provide a living wage for their staff.”

Read Boyd’s full argument in support of Senate Bill 6346.

TAKE ACTION:To make your voice heard on the proposed “millionaires tax,” reach out to your representatives in the state House and Senate.

Parents! Take this survey!

This month, 4Culture, King County’s cultural funding agency, wants to hear from county residents—especially families—about how often, where, and when you go out to explore the region through theater, museums, festivals, music, films, public art, and other events and cultural activities.

As 4Culture explains, the King County Resident Cultural Participation Survey helps 4Culture understand, measure, and improve access to arts, heritage, and cultural experiences. It’s focused on identifying participation trends and barriers to equitable cultural opportunities in the county. The survey is one tool the agency uses to determine how it spends money from the county Lodging Tax and other revenue to support the “cultural sector.”  

The survey takes about 9 minutes to complete and asks questions to determine how many outings include kids, or for which the main reason for going is to spend time as a family.

TAKE ACTION: Help the county ensure arts and culture remain a high priority. Take the survey here.

United States Capitol building in Washington DC (Image: S. Greg Panosian)

Murray and Cantwell announce federal budget wins for Washington kids and families

Those sneaky top Republicans and Democrats. According to an article this week in the New York Times, they managed last week to work together and pass several bills that, together, make it harder for President Donald Trump and his administration to go around Congress when allocating federal funds. Washington Senator Patty Murray (D-Bothell) is one of those top Democrats who pushed for codifying the rules and funding levels the administration must abide by when allocating (or withholding) federal funds.

Along with that win, Murray, vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Edmonds), who is chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation fannounced Washington projects of impact to kids and families that will receive federal dollars in 2026. Among the greater Seattle-area wins:  

• $3.15 million to build affordable housing units in Seattle
• $3 million to Seattle Children’s Hospital for construction of a youth behavioral health crisis stabilization observation unit
• $800,000 for United Way King County to improve emergency food distribution system
• $1.5 million to the Seattle Indian Services Commission for the construction of affordable housing, early learning center, and a child care facility
• $300,000 to Seattle-based statewide Page Ahead Children’s Literacy Program and its Book Up Summer program providing free books for kids and book discussion nights for families
• More than $7 million to City of Seattle and groups like Renton’s Friends of Youth in support of affordable housing
• $2 million to support high school maritime education programs in Tacoma and Port Townsend
• $4.5 million to Seattle Indian Health Board to build a health center
• $100,000 to Children’s Therapy Center to support resource navigation services for parents and caregivers of children with disabilities
• $6.2 million for the construction of a new early learning center in Bremerton 
• $600,000 for the organization Open Doors for Multicultural Families in support of a new, early childhood education center at the Kent/Des-Moines Light Rail site
• $850,000 to Edmonds to build a new food bank in a more convenient location,
• $1.6 million Sea Mar Community Health Centers
• $2 million to Lake Forest Park toward construction of the Lakefront Park Community Center Project
• $250,000 to the City of Federal Way for day care relocation and renovation

Seattle and King County sync regarding protecting families from ICE aggression

Seattle’s new Mayor, Katie Wilson, has already taken a tough stance on immigration enforcement agents in the City. Two weeks ago, Wilson ordered that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are barred from using city-owned property. She also committed $4 million in legal defense funds for residents facing immigration proceedings, opened a dedicated hotline where community members can report ICE activity, and instructed Seattle Police to document federal immigration enforcement actions occurring within city limits. 

The county’s chief is right there with Wilson. 

Last week, King County Executive Girmay Zahilay issued his first executive order since taking office last year. In it, he too banned ICE from making arrests in non-public areas of county-owned buildings and properties. 

And, like Wilson, Zahilay went further. He committed $2 million in emergency funding to help immigrant and refugee families access legal services, maintain their housing, and keep food on the table. The order also directs the King County Sheriff’s Office to outline how it responds to calls to 911 reporting immigration raids. 

“Every resident who calls King County home, regardless of their citizenship status, deserves safety, dignity, and to live without fear or intimidation,” Executive Zahilay said in a release.

While immigrant families still live in fear of ICE aggression and arrest, city and county leadership and policies aimed at protecting them from aggressive and possibly illegal ICE tactics speak volumes. As Mayor Wilson recently put it, “This moment demands action.”

Are people abusing the Public Records Act to hurt school districts?

A bill moving through the Washington legislature seeks to find ways to discourage people from misusing the state’s Public Records Act to target school districts. HB 2661 addresses records requests that are “frivolous, retaliatory, or harassing” and that place a heavy burden on school district resources and personnel. 

By driving up financial, legal, and operational strain—especially when districts must respond to complex, high-volume requests tied to controversial issues and spend extensive staff time redacting and reviewing records—these demands can pull resources away from classrooms and into compliance, heightening the tension between transparency and student privacy.

The amended form of the bill, which now goes to the full House of Representatives for a vote, requires the state’s Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee to form a work group to research the impacts of records request abuse on school districts. The task force invitees will now be asked to join the work group.

TAKE ACTION: To make your voice heard on HB 2661 , reach out to your representatives in the state House and Senate.

Physical therapist assisting baby with birth trauma in coordination exercise (Image: iStock.com)

Lawmakers should not balance the budget on the backs of the state’s most vulnerable kids | Op-Ed

If passed by the state legislature this year, House Bill 2688 could result in a Washington that fails thousands of its most vulnerable residents—babies and toddlers with disabilities.

Last week, the House Committee on Appropriations voted to move the proposal forward—with one big, bill-turning change. Rather than increasing the budget for the Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT) program from $48 million to about $50 million a year by increasing its funding formula multiplier from 1.15 to 1.2, the amended bill sets the formula back to the 2008 multiplier level of 1.0. The program’s multiplier is the number the state uses to calculate how much money it provides for each baby or toddler receiving early intervention services. If the multiplier goes up, programs receive more money per child; if it goes down, they receive less.

The result of the amended bill would be tragic: fewer kids receiving critical early intervention services they need to thrive and significantly less money for school districts, which provide many of those services. In King County, this means about 1,200 fewer children would have access to state-funded services to help them develop vital communication, motor, and basic survival skills (including eating). ESIT currently serves more than 7,000 infants and toddlers in the county with an array of diagnoses, among them Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, hearing or vision loss, developmental delays, prematurity, severe illness, and autism spectrum disorder. 

If you are a parent with a disabled baby, this bill could mean the difference between your child receiving vital early intervention and not.

Yes, Washington is facing a $2.3 billion budget shortfall for the current biennium. Most children’s programs should not expect increases when money is this tight—even the most critical and impactful ones like ESIT. But neither should they become the back upon which a deficit is balanced. The amendment moved forward by the House Appropriations Committee doesn’t kill HB 2688. It blunts its purpose.

Instead of strengthening special education funding, it goes backward, landing at a level below the status quo and leaving districts and families largely where they’ve been for more than a decade: doing more with less.

House Bill 2688 has been referred to the House Rules Committee before a vote by the full House. If approved it would need to pass the Senate before the session’s closure March 12.

Read this full opinion-editorial at Seattleschild.com.

TAKE ACTION: To make your voice heard on HB 2688 and its limitation of services for disabled infants and preschoolers. Reach out to your representatives in the state House and Senate.

More gloom on the way. Bring on the free flowers 

Forecasters are calling for a wet week—with alternating days of rain and potentially snow showers. In other words, dark, dreary, Seattle winter. Frye Art Museum has just the fix: “Wallflowers,” a new exhibit centered on, well, flowers. In other words, bright, colorful, mostly cheery and a nod toward spring. 

According to the exhibit description, the installation of exhibit art was “structured to mimic the delights of navigating a cultivated garden [and] oscillates between discrete paintings and immersive patterns, between contemplation and exuberance.” The show runs until the real buds start to emerge, that is, May 17. And it’s absolutely FREE.  

The post This Hits Home: News that impacts Washington families appeared first on Seattle's Child.

Senate Bill 5906 covers “nonpublic areas” of preschools, K-12 schools, health facilities, adult family homes, higher education institutions and election offices.

It also prohibits early learning providers and school district employees from collecting information about the immigration statuses of students and their families.

It’s basically an extension of the Keep Washington Working Act, the 2019 law setting limits for how police and others can cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.

The state already has model policies for public schools to deal with immigration enforcement. The legislation seeks to enshrine them in law and expand them to more locations amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

The Keep Washington Working Act “did not cover day cares. It did not cover public or nonpublic hospitals. It didn’t cover nursing homes,” said the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Drew Hansen, D-Bainbridge Island.

The measure passed on a party-line 30-19 vote with Democrats in support.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement often uses administrative warrants, which only require approval from an ICE official. This bill calls for a judicial warrant or court order before agents can enter these facilities.

Upon taking office, President Donald Trump rescinded guidance shielding churches, schools and hospitals from immigration enforcement.

Last month, several Seattle schools sheltered in place for a day due to unconfirmed reports of ICE activity in the area. The rumors turned out to be false.

Hansen recalled being able to take his mother to the hospital recently without having to worry about immigration enforcement.

“What happens if I’m Drew with a different last name, and I’m born in Guatemala and grew up in Washington state,” Hansen said. “It might be the case that you have someone in your family in trouble and you don’t quite know if you are going to be safe going into that ER from ICE enforcement activity. And we can’t have that.”

Sen. Jeff Holy, R-Cheney, said he wishes this enforcement wasn’t happening, but it’s the job of Congress, not the state Legislature, to address.

“Using a vehicle like this as a thinly veiled attempt to directly obstruct a federal investigation, execution of federal laws by federal law enforcement officers under color of statutory authority gives me pain,” Holy said, calling the legislation a “ruse.”

Hansen’s bill defines “nonpublic” as an “area in which authorized individuals have a reasonable expectation of privacy.” These could be places that require a key to enter or that otherwise limit access to authorized people.

Under the legislation, colleges will need to designate areas as public or nonpublic. School boards would have to adopt or amend policies for limiting immigration enforcement in their schools. The attorney general’s office would be tasked with developing model policies for early learning providers.

As for auditors’ offices, Hansen’s proposal defines anywhere ballots are handled, processed, counted or tabulated as nonpublic. Republicans took issue with this. Sen. Drew MacEwen, R-Shelton, called it “disturbing” because votes are counted publicly.

Hansen countered that election observers viewing vote counting are fine, but “the places where we tabulate ballots are generally not widely open to the public.”

If union employees at these types of facilities are subject to immigration enforcement, the employer has to contact their bargaining representative.

Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond, recalled the immigration arrest of the Juanita High School theater manager last summer, noting “no one knew where he was.” When the news eventually got out, his union raised money for his legal fight.

Roughly a quarter of early childhood educators are immigrants, including those both with and without legal status, according to data from the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of California, Berkeley.

The legislation is known as the Secure and Accountable Federal Enforcement, or SAFE, Act.

It now goes to the House. If passed and signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson, it would take effect immediately.

Meanwhile, King County Executive Girmay Zahilay on Thursday signed an executive order looking to ban immigration enforcement agents from nonpublic county property.

TAKE ACTION: Do you have an opinion or stance on SB 5906? Make your voice heard by reaching out to your representatives in the state House and Senate.

The post WA lawmakers advance bill restricting ICE access to schools appeared first on Seattle's Child.

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Ben Shuldiner, Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools. (Image: SPS)

A difficult moment met with a strong message

On Jan. 30, two Rainier Beach High School students were shot and killed at a bus stop near South Shore PreK-8 School and the high school. Seattle Public Schools’ (SPS) new Superintendent Ben Shuldiner was sworn into office Feb. 2, but he set the tone of his leadership even before taking his oath. In a heartfelt email to the SPS community on Feb. 1, he acknowledged and joined in the community’s grief and anger. Then he challenged the community to stand up:

“Tomorrow must be the day for us all to come together and act,” Shuldiner wrote. “Gun violence is a scourge on our community and our country. Youth homicide is a terrible action, but its occurrence is holistic in nature. It happens because we, collectively, have not stopped it. Thus, I ask that each and every one of us think critically about what we can do to address this issue. How can we make our streets safer and our children free from harm?”

Shuldiner noted the organizations and individuals working to stop gun violence: “I know there are already amazing and wonderful people working on this…I know the School Board is doing everything they can to help. But, as the superintendent, I am asking that we all — all 50,000 students, all the families, and all the denizens of Seattle — rally together.”

The new superintendent made it clear that community input will be a cornerstone of his stewardship of Seattle Public Schools:

“How can we help to address this issue?” Shuldiner wrote. “I am open to ideas. I am open to conversation. I am open to anything we can do to stop one more child from dying. Please feel free to email me. I know that together, we will be able to move forward.”

TAKE ACTION: Take SPS Superintendent Ben Shuldiner at his word. Email him directly with your thoughts and concerns about gun violence and any other school concerns at boshuldiner@seattleschools.org.

Black Lives Matter in Schools launched in 2016 (Image: iamaneducator.com)

Seattle-born Black Lives Matter in Schools celebrates a decade

When members of Equitable Educations in Seattle worked with staff at John Muir Elementary in South Seattle to organize the first districtwide Black Lives Matter at School Day in 2016, they had no idea how far the event would reach. That day, nearly 3,000 educators across Seattle wore specially-designed shirts to school celebrating black lives and, alongside parents, the NAACP, and community members, they taught lessons on the Black freedom struggle. 

Last week, the national Black Lives Matter in Schools movement that was born here celebrated its 10th year—and welcomed the city proclamation of Feb. 2, 2026 of Black Lives Matter at School Day.

Don’t miss Jesse Hagopian’s reflections on the importance of that day in 2016, and the movement it launched, in the South Seattle Emerald. Hagopian, a Seattle-based educator and author of “Teach Truth: The Struggle for Antiracist Education,” was there and serves on the national steering committee of Black Lives Matter at School. Read his comments at South Seattle Emerald.

Seattle’s Screentime Consultant testifies in Congress

Anti-Ed Tech advocate Emily Cherkin testifies in Washington D.C. Jan. 14, 2026.

Emily Cherkin, a Seattle mom, former teacher, and author who helps families and schools navigate the digital age under the moniker “The Screentime Consultant,” recently took her fight against overuse of technology in education (Ed Tech) to Congress.

During an impassioned presentation to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Cherkin described technology business models as fundamentally “at odds” with healthy child development.

“Nearly 90% of American public schools provide children with internet-connected devices [and] 26% percent of 13- to 17-year-olds use ChatGPT to do their schoolwork,” Cherkin pointed out, among other statistics regarding digital use by kids.

Cherkin was in Washington, D.C., to voice her support for the proposed Kids Off Social Media Act, which aims to protect children by banning social media accounts for those under 13. The proposal is co-sponsored by Washington Sen. Patty Murray (D-Bothell) and would, among other things, prohibit companies from using algorithms to push content to users under 17 and require schools to block social media on their networks in order to receive cost-discounted telecommunications, internet access, and internal network connections.

She then used an attention-getting analogy to make her point in her testimony: “The juxtaposition of childhood innocence and technology’s overreach can be seen in this anecdote: Middle schoolers, still losing their baby teeth, think it’s funny to imitate the sex noises they hear from watching online content.” Watch Cherkin’s testimony here.

TAKE ACTION: Have an opinion on the use of technology in the classroom or the Kids Off Social Media Act? Reach out to your members through congress.gov.

Lawmakers grapple with a child welfare system 

The numbers stopped lawmakers in their tracks last week. In 2025, 22 Washington children connected to the child welfare system died, and 35 more suffered near-fatal injuries, the highest total the state has recorded. About half involved opioids, and babies and toddlers under age 3 were the most vulnerable. All of the 57 deaths or injuries have been involved in previous child welfare cases, a detail that underscores how hard it can be to keep very young children safe even if concerns have already been flagged.

In response, lawmakers are narrowing their focus after a broad proposal to improve the Washington child welfare system stalled in the current legislative session. That sweeping legislation would have expanded access to legal counsel for at-risk mothers and embedded nurses in families with open Child Protective Services cases. Lawmakers will realize such actions through state budget negotiations.

Legislation still in play is more targeted, including House Bill 2660, which would give courts greater oversight in cases involving children under age 5 who stay at home rather than entering foster care. A separate proposal in the Senate, Senate Bill 6319, would keep some Washington Child Protective Services (CPS) investigations open longer when young children and high-potency opioids are involved.

For parents, this moment is about trade-offs—and trust. The state is grappling with how to protect its youngest children without crossing constitutional lines or overwhelming families already under scrutiny. Supporters say the measures could identify potential danger early, especially for infants and toddlers not yet in child care or school. Critics worry about maintaining a reasonable balance between expanded surveillance and family privacy. What’s clear is this: the current system is not preventing the most devastating outcomes. Read the full story by Washington State Standard.

TAKE ACTION: To make your voice heard on HB 2660 or SB 6319, reach out to your representatives in the state House and Senate.

The Good Read: Baby Giggle Brilliance

(Image: iStock.com)

If you have been the parent of a newborn, you know the unfettered joy of hearing your child’s first belly laugh — that uninhibited hiccuping chortle escaping through a drooly, wide-open mouth. It’s the sound of pure happiness. And possibly something else, as this wonderful story in the New York Times reports. This feel-good read (and listen) will bring you right back to that moment. Listen, laugh, and learn.

Not this year: Several kid-focused bills fail in 2026 Legislature

Washington lawmakers have come at protecting kids online from a number of directions during the current session of the state legislature, which ends March 12. But last week, some of those efforts were left on the cutting room floor:

House Bill 2400, a proposal meant to protect children whose lives are broadcast for profit online—often by their own families. The bill would have given young adults the right to request the removal of videos they appeared in as children and require platforms to set up trust accounts so kids could eventually share in the money earned from their likeness. It was a no-go for lawmakers who gave parents a familiar message: the risks are well documented, the solutions are complicated, and for now, the responsibility still sits squarely at home.

Same story with Senate Bill 6111, which would have required parental consent before minors under 17 could open social media accounts. The bill fizzled out after tech industry groups argued it crossed constitutional lines by restricting free speech. Lawmakers didn’t move it forward.

And a third miss: House Bill 2112 would have required websites to verify that a user is age 18 or older, if one-third of the site content is sexual material harmful to minors. I wrote in an op-ed here last week, failed to pass out of committee on time, even with bipartisan support and painful and moving testimony from parents.

TAKE ACTION: How do you feel about lawmakers’ decision (or lack of decision) on bills that seek to protect kids from online harm? Whatever your position, reach out to your representatives in the state House and Senate.

The Art of Reflection

Kent-Meridian High School memorial mural. (Image: Kent School District)

Most adults can look back and remember a peer who died—for too many of us, it was a fellow student who passed away during our time in high school. For me, it was a boy named Paul who died in a car crash near Governor John R. Rogers High School way back in the 80s.

Like so many kids who experience the death of a peer, I didn’t know what to do with my grief, which may be why I still get teary when I think about Paul. I’m sure that memory is why I was moved by the recently unveiled mural created by students at Kent-Meridian High School.  Response to the mural speaks to what kids need to navigate grief and confusion: a place to pause, reflect, and grapple with the uncomfortable truth that death often comes unexpectedly and too soon.  Check out their story in The Seattle Times.

Doulas Helping Moms Who’ve Struggled with Addiction

(Image: C. Murfin)

A story last week in the Washington State Standard offers hope to pregnant parents with histories of addiction. The article told the stories of women determined to beat addiction and the birth and postpartum doulas committed to helping them avoid pain relief drugs during labor and delivery.

Many of those doulas, former addicts themselves, personally understand what the laboring moms are going through. They understand that exposure to pain medication, especially opiates, in labor can mean the difference between remaining a drug-free parent and a painful return to drug abuse. The story is a great read and a good resource for expectant parents.

It should be noted that the number of infants born with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS)—a condition indicating withdrawal from drug exposure—has been rising in Washington state, according to a report published by Washington State University Health Sciences. In 2022, the rate in Washington was 11.2 per 1,000 babies born or 1.2% of babies: “The Washington rate increased year-over-year from 2019 to 2022 while the national rate of NAS has remained stable,” the report said.

As of January 2025, Washington’s Medicaid program covers doula services, offering one of the nation’s highest reimbursement rates at $3,500 for certified doulas. Billing is handled through the Washington Health Care Authority.

Gun found at Phantom Lake Elementary (Image: Bellevue Police Department)

Too-slow reveal of gun found at Bellevue elementary school

Over winter break, when Phantom Lake Elementary was quiet and classrooms sat empty, a janitor discovered something that doesn’t belong in any school building: a loaded Glock pistol left behind in a boys’ bathroom. The gun, discovered Dec. 21, 2025, was linked to a Sunday church service that’s been held in the building for years, according to a report on KUOW.

The fact that a firearm sat unnoticed in the Bellevue elementary school and that parents, staff, and police were not notified until a month after the discovery has rattled the school community. The owner of the weapon told Bellevue Police he forgot it while using the restroom. He’s now been barred from Phantom Lake Elementary School property. But parents still have questions: how a weapon ended up in an elementary school, why law enforcement wasn’t contacted immediately, and what safeguards are in place to make sure it never happens again.

Seattle student ICE Out protest (Seattle Gay News TikTok)

Just before mid-morning Monday, hundreds of high school students stepped out of class and into the rain, turning school hallways into a staging ground for protest. At Highline High School in Burien, the front doors swung open and roughly 500 students — more than a third of the campus — walked out together, calling for an end to federal immigration enforcement they say is tearing families apart. The demonstration, organized under the banner “ICE Out,” echoed across the Highline and Renton districts, with students from Evergreen, Mount Rainier, Raisbeck Aviation, Lindbergh, and Big Picture high schools joining in.

The walkouts weren’t isolated occurrences. Students in West Seattle, Auburn, and other communities had done the same just days earlier as part of a nationally coordinated day of action. And then on Thursday, hundreds more students gathered at Seattle City Hall to continue the student protest over U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s aggressive and deadly tactics across the country.

For many of these teens, the issue isn’t abstract or political — it’s personal, tied to classmates, neighbors, and family members living with very real uncertainty and fear of detainment. By walking out of their classrooms and their right to a day of education, they have been offering us all a different kind of lesson: That civic action is a right of each of us, that it sometimes is a necessity when your voice needs to be heard, and that it is a responsibility young people take seriously. Even when the rain is cold, and the consequences are unclear. Check out The Seattle Times’ coverage of the walkout. 

TAKE ACTION: If you, your teens, or your family are interested in peaceful gatherings to protest U.S. Customs and Immigration tactics in cities across the country, the grassroots organization Seattle Indivisible offers a calendar of protest dates, times, and locations. Several are planned for Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14. Event organizers stress: “This is a peaceful protest movement. We oppose violence, vandalism, and destruction of property.”

Governor rejects first attempt at income tax, child advocates say yes

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said he wanted lawmakers to give him a “millionaire’s tax” to equitize the state’s tax income. Last week, he told them their first attempt to do just that, Senate Bill 6346, wasn’t good enough to receive his signature.

That’s not stopping Children’s Alliance, the statewide child advocacy organization, from pushing for its passage. In an email last week, the Alliance asked supporters to flood the Senate Committee on Ways & Means with PRO positions when the proposal was heard on Feb. 6. The committee is scheduled to take action on the bill in executive session on Feb. 9.

“Senate Bill 6346 would enact a 9.9% tax on earnings above $1 million, ensuring that the wealthiest Washingtonians pay what they owe to support programs and services that benefit us all,” the nonprofit wrote. “In a state as prosperous as ours, working families should be able to build a future without being weighed down by an inequitable tax system.

“Washington,” the group added, “has the second most regressive state and local tax system in the country, relying heavily on sales and property taxes that hit households with low and middle incomes the hardest. This bill represents an opportunity to rebalance our upside-down tax code.” Read the story on Gov. Bob Ferguson’s stance at Washington State Standard. Follow coverage of the opening legislative debate on the tax on the Standard’s website. 

Also check out this recent article: Washington schools superintendent pitch: Spend income tax on education.

TAKE ACTION: The idea of a wealth tax has been controversial in Washington. Where do you stand? Whatever your position, speak out to representatives in the state House and Senate.

The post This Hits Home: News that impacts Washington families appeared first on Seattle's Child.

Outside of the years of the pandemic, the number of Washington students experiencing homelessness has seen steady increases since the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction began monitoring the number annually.[1]

As the resources needed to support the increased needs of students experiencing homelessness have grown in recent years, state and federal supports have become increasingly uncertain.

In 2025, federal-level decisions have introduced significant uncertainty for programs supporting students experiencing homelessness:

• Proposed Elimination of Funding Supporting Homeless Students: A White House proposal sought to consolidate the McKinney-Vento Act’s Education for Children and Homeless Youth (ECHY) program into a block grant, effectively removing dedicated funding. ECHY is the only federal program focused on identifying homeless students and removing barriers to education.
• Administrative Disruptions: In October, the U.S. Department of Education terminated staff responsible for ECHY oversight, including compliance and guideline enforcement. These positions were reinstated only after a successful legal challenge.
• Shift of Oversight to Department of Labor: On November 18, the Department of Education began transferring responsibilities—including ECHY administration—to the Department of Labor, signaling a retreat from the federal government’s longstanding role in ensuring educational access for homeless students.

The federal level uncertainty has been compounded by challenges at the state level.  During the 2025 legislative session, the Homeless Student Stability Education Program (HSSeP), which is designed to support districts with identification, enrollment, and services for public school students living in homeless situations, had its funding cut by 76% to $1.2 million for the current two-year budget cycle.

Federal & State Funding for Students Experiencing Homelessness (Millions)

With funding cuts and increasing homelessness, the statewide average per-student allocation for homeless students has dropped consistently over the past several years.

*Assumes no change in the number of students experiencing homelessness from 2024-25

The budget crisis is compounding the difficulties districts face in serving homeless students. With state funding slashed, federal support eliminated, and homelessness on the rise, schools are struggling to maintain the resources needed to guarantee every child’s right to learn.

Now more than ever, we need to invest in what works. HSSeP’s approach—linking housing stability and academic achievement—has delivered results since the pandemic. For a child to learn, they must first feel secure in where they will sleep each night. In 2024, HSSeP strengthened the lives of more than 13,000 people by providing housing stability and increasing access to learning. State budget cuts in 2025 reduced funding so significantly that the number of people supported through HSSeP will be less than a third of that for the 25-26 school year. It is clear that restoring this vital funding is a critical step towards supporting our most vulnerable students.

This session represents a critical chance to support homeless students. Together, from Washington, D.C., to Olympia, we must advocate for the programs that guarantee every child access to education.

This article is reposted with permission from League of Education Voters (LEV) blog. LEV is a non-profit, non-partisan Washington state organization that advocates for student-focused, equitable public education by providing research, building coalitions, and engaging communities, families, educators, and policymakers to address systemic barriers and improve learning environments for all students, especially those historically underserved. Support LEV work.

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In her January testimony, included via video below, Cherkin painted a hard picture for lawmakers:

“Today, in America 40% of two-year-olds have a personal tablet,” Cherkin said. “Children 8 to 18-years-old average 7.5 hours a day on screens– outside of school hours. Nearly 90% of American public schools provide children with internet-connected devices for “learning” [while] occupational therapists [have to] teach young children how to turn the pages of a book.”

“I know one teen who was so addicted to his phone he sealed it in a Ziploc bag and brought it into the shower with him,” said Cherkin, who is also on faculty at the University of Washington. “Twenty-six percent of 13- to 17-year-olds use ChatGPT to do their schoolwork– which they access on the laptops the school gives them.”

Cherkin was in Washington, D.C., to voice her support for the proposed Kids Off Social Media Act, sponsored by Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Ted Cruz (R-TX), which aims to protect children from online harm by banning social media accounts for kids under 13.  The proposal is co-sponsored by Washington Sen. Patty Murray (D-Bothell) and would, among other things, prohibit companies from using algorithms to push content to users under 17. Further, it would require schools to block social media on their networks to receive E-Rate funding—an initiative that provides discounts of 20% to 90% on telecommunications, internet access, and internal network connections for eligible schools and libraries.

The act, first introduced a year ago, was placed this month on the Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders—which meansit’s ready for consideration by the full Senate but has not yet been passed by the Senate. If approved by the full body, it would go to the U.S. House of Representatives.

“We have reached a moment that demands we slow down and build things, even when the tech industry insists on the opposite,” Cherkin told the committee. “Legislation like the Kids Off Social Media Act is a start– and I believe we can go further. Just as we have done with regulating alcohol and tobacco access, we can do so with social media, too.”

Cherkin used an attention-getting analogy to make her point: “The juxtaposition of childhood innocence and technology’s overreach can be seen in this anecdote: Middle schoolers, still losing their baby teeth, think it’s funny to imitate the sex noises they hear from watching online content.”

Watch the testimony given by Emily Cherkin, aka The Screentime Consultant, here:

Take action: Do you have an opinion on the use of technology in the classroom? It is it overused and should it be regulated by passage of the Kids Off Social Media Act? Reach out to your members of Congress and tell them how you want them to vote on this or any legislation. Find your lawmaker at congress.gov.

To learn about other ways to speak out, bookmark our list “Make your voice heard for Washington’s kids.”

To find columns by Emily Cherkin at Seattleschild.com, simply put “the screentime consultant” in the search box.

The post Seattle’s ‘Screentime Consultant’ addresses the U.S. Senate appeared first on Seattle's Child.

A rally on the Capitol steps against the cuts is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. tomorrow, Feb. 12.

Working Connections Child Care helps eligible low-income families pay for child care while they work, attend job training, or participate in educational programs. The subsidy is paid directly to providers, with families covering a portion of the cost with a copayment based on their household income. Families must meet income requirements, typically at or below 60% of the state median income, and meet specific work or activity requirements. Approximately 17% of eligible children in Washington state participate in the program, with nearly 64,000 currently enrolled.

Tax, don’t cut

Ferguson’s proposed budget includes funding reductions that Ryan says could leave up to 6,800 Washington children from low-income families without child care. The proposed cuts are an attempt to balance an approximately $2.3 billion budget shortfall in the state’s roughly $79 billion supplemental budget during the current legislative session. The session ends on March 12.

“This drastic cut will make it more difficult for working parents with young children to juggle caring for their children and putting food on the table,” Ryan said in an email. “It will lead to less economic activity, job losses, and increases in public benefit usage, just as Washington State faces a huge budget deficit. Our Association believes that the Governor and lawmakers should instead address the budget deficit by asking those with more resources to pay their fair share of taxes.”

State Democrats are working hard to make that happen. Controversial income tax legislation, Senate Bill 6346, also known as the “millionaires’ tax,” was voted out of the Washington state Senate committee earlier this week. The vote came after lawmakers agreed that part of the bill’s income would support local public defenders and increase a tax break for small businesses. The fight is far from over—Republicans’ opposition is strong on one of the most divisive bills of the 2026 legislative session. The proposed tax system would impose a 9.9% levy on personal income over $1 million.

TAKE ACTION: Would your family be impacted by cuts, or do you have a position on this proposed cut? No matter where you stand, your voice matters. Let your lawmakers know where you stand. Reach out to your representatives in the state House and Senate.

The post Big turnout expected Feb. 12 at rally against child care cuts in Olympia appeared first on Seattle's Child.