Washington
Judge blocks parts of WA’s new parental rights law • Washington State Standard
Most of the parental “bill of rights” the Legislature approved earlier this year can remain in effect, for now, but pieces related to when parents can access medical and mental health records can’t go forward, a judge ruled Friday.
King County Superior Court Judge Michael Scott granted a request to temporarily block parts of the law that give parents access to all medical and mental health counseling records for their children and require school districts to turn over the records within 10 days – a shorter time than allowed under federal law.
Most of the law, created by the Republican-backed Initiative 2081, will remain in place. It allows a range of school materials, such as textbooks and curricula, to be easily available for review by parents. Parents are also given notice and allowed to opt their child out of assignments and other activities involving questions about a child’s sexual experiences or their family’s religious beliefs.
The state Legislature approved the measure earlier this year and it took effect on June 6.
The lawsuit, spearheaded by the ACLU of Washington and other legal groups, argues that students, parents and school districts will be harmed by the initiative and that it was drafted in a way that violates the state Constitution. That’s despite the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction’s assurance that much of what was in the initiative was already state law.
In a ruling from the bench, Scott said he is sensitive to the impacts of the initiative on schools throughout the state but that was not the question before the court.
“It’s not this court’s position to determine whether that’s good policy or not,” Scott said.
In his decision to grant the partial preliminary injunction, Scott raised concerns over the sweeping language in the initiative calling for schools to turn over all medical and mental health records and to do so within 10 days. The federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act requires schools to turn over records as soon as possible, or within 45 days of the request.
A written order detailing Scott’s ruling will be available next week. The injunction means that the blocked parts of the law will remain on hold while court proceedings continue.
The initiative was written by Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, and was one of six initiatives backed by conservative hedge fund manager Brian Heywood. It passed unanimously through the Washington Senate and 82-15 through the House, with only Democrats opposed.
Pete Serrano, who’s representing Walsh, the Heywood-sponsored group Let’s Go Washington and others in this case, said he was “extremely grateful” most of the law is intact.
“There’s a lot of opportunity for parents to remain present in their child’s education,” said Serrano, who is also a Republican candidate for attorney general.
In a statement following Friday’s ruling, ACLU attorney Adrien Leavitt said he was pleased that parts of the initiative would not go into effect until there is a final decision.
“But this is not the end,” Leavitt said in a statement. “We will keep fighting this case in hopes of a final judgment that shows this harmful law violates the State Constitution and should not be implemented or enforced.”
When the initiative passed the Legislature, Democrats who supported it emphasized that the legislation did not change any protections for marginalized groups.
Sen. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, told the Standard that some Democratic lawmakers were uncomfortable with the initiative, but passing it allows the Legislature to amend the statute next session should issues arise.
Had the Legislature declined to take action, sending the initiative to the ballot, lawmakers would have to wait two years before they could amend it if it won voter approval.
But the ACLU of Washington, Legal Voice and QLaw, the three organizations leading the lawsuit, argue the initiative “misled state lawmakers and the public.”
“It violates the State Constitution because it fails to disclose how it revises and affects existing laws,” the groups’ lawsuit says. “This causes confusion about the legal duties of schools, their staff and contractors, and school-based healthcare providers, as well as the rights of students.”
The lawsuit also contends that the initiative would strip important privacy protections for medical and mental health records for LGBTQ+ students, youth of color and students from other marginalized backgrounds.
When the initiative passed, LGBTQ+ advocacy groups voiced concerns about the potentially chilling effect it could have on LGBTQ+ youth. “Many students simply aren’t going to seek out those services,” Leavitt said Friday.
Julia Marks, litigation attorney for Legal Voice, said Friday’s ruling would help protect these students by keeping their medical and mental health records confidential.
“Survivors of sexual assault, LGBTQ+ youth, youth who need reproductive and sexual health care, and other vulnerable students rely on trusted adults at school who can confidentially help them navigate challenges,” Marks said in a statement.
The initiative came as the socially conservative “parental rights” movement, which aims to restrict schools’ abilities to teach about gender, sexuality and race without parental consent, has gained influence across the United States. LGBTQ+ students and advocates across the country say the movement is less about parental rights and more about targeting and silencing LGBTQ+ youth.
Among the plaintiffs in the lawsuit are South Whidbey School District, equity-focused nonprofit organizations and a parent of two students in Seattle Public Schools.
ASHBURN, Va. – The Washington Commanders have released their 2026 Training Camp schedule, with eleven open practices between August 1 and August 19, including five open to all fans and six reserved for season ticket members.
For the fifth straight year, training camp will take place at the team’s football operations headquarters in Ashburn, Virginia.
Open practices for all fans are scheduled for August 1, August 7, August 8, August 18 and August 19.
Season ticket member practices will be held August 3, 4, 5, 10, 11 and 12.
All sessions begin at 8:30 a.m., with gates opening at 7:30 a.m.
Fans can claim free tickets beginning June 23 at 10 a.m. General admission fans may request up to six tickets and one parking pass for a single day of camp. Season ticket members can claim tickets for two member‑exclusive days in addition to one general admission day. All parking will be on site at the BigBear.ai Performance Center and requires a parking pass.
The team plans several themed events throughout camp, including Back Together Weekend on August 1, Military Appreciation Day on August 7 and Kids Day on August 8. Local youth football and community groups will also be hosted throughout the summer.
For more information visit the Washington Commanders online.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the Washington Commanders.
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Washington’s National Mall is set to be drained again for repairs after algae and peeling paint appeared just weeks after a US$14.7 million renovation, while President Donald Trump threatened prison time for anyone caught damaging the pool.
The DC Water authority issued a permit to drain the 609-metre rectangular pool, it said on Monday, while the repair company said it would fix the pool as part of its warranty.
Peeling paint and algae growth have been visible in the pool since soon after Trump declared the renovation project complete on June 6. Critics have raised concerns about the no-bid contract to recoat the pool before the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations next month, as well as for the ducks that use its water. Workers from the National Park Service earlier this week poured hydrogen peroxide into the pool to combat the algae.
Trump, without evidence, has blamed vandals for the state of the landmark. On Monday, he echoed a weekend threat by US Attorney Jeanine Pirro to prosecute people accused of attempting to destroy the pool.
“Please remember that there is a 10-year prison sentence for the destruction, or even the attempted destruction, of such things – Which will be fully enforced!” Trump earlier wrote in a social media post. Destruction of federal property can carry a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.
It was not immediately apparent what criminal or civil violation someone might commit reaching into the pool.
Half a year can be an eternity in the NBA.
Seven months ago, as Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks headed toward a divorce, Young’s value within the league had never been lower.
On Monday, Young and the Washington Wizards agreed to a new four-year, maximum-salary contract worth approximately $212.9 million, according to a league source. The fourth year of the contract will be a player option.
Young’s first-year salary is estimated to be $49.5 million, which amounts to 30 percent of the projected 2026-27 salary cap of $165 million. During the 2029-30 season, the final year of the contract, Young will earn $56.9 million if he accepts his player option.
Wizards officials would love it, of course, if Young can return to the form that made him an All-NBA Third Team player during the 2021-22 season. But at the very least, they place significant value on knowing that their team’s offense will start with him on most occasions, and that he will be around to shoulder a large portion of the scoring load while the team’s young players, who comprise the team’s long-term nucleus, continue to improve.
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That Young will receive such large annual salaries no doubt will come as a shock to many observers, especially after Young’s reputation took a beating toward the end of his Hawks tenure. The NBA rumor mill, which is often inaccurate, predicted months ago that any new deal between Young and the Wizards would average no more than $40 million annually.
But in recent weeks, Wizards decision-makers became convinced that, with the NBA’s new anti-tanking measures compelling more teams to compete, Young was going to command maximum-salary contract offers from other franchises through either a straight free-agent signing or a sign-and-trade proposal.
Because the Wizards hold Young’s Bird rights, the Wizards had the latitude to offer Young up to a five-year contract with 8 percent annual raises. But Young’s new four-year deal instead features 5 percent year-over-year raises, the maximum year-over-year raise that any other team could have offered Young as a non-Bird free agent. For Washington, the difference between signing Young to 5 percent raises instead of 8 percent raises will amount to a total savings of $8.9 million over four years.
Wizards officials are not concerned that Young’s new contract will age poorly and prevent them from making future moves to improve their roster. Anthony Davis, who is due to earn $58.5 million in 2026-27, and Young are now Washington’s highest-paid players on its young roster, but the person with the third-largest salary is big man Alex Sarr, who will be paid the relatively small sum of $12.3 million this season. At the earliest, the Wizards do not expect to approach the dreaded first apron until the 2028-29 season, when any new rookie-scale contract extensions for Sarr and Kyshawn George would go into effect.
Plus, Wizards officials reason that Young, who will turn 28 years old in September, will remain in his prime years through the end of his contract. The onerous large contracts that age the worst — potentially Jimmy Butler’s current deal with the Golden State Warriors and Paul George’s current deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, for example — tend to be contracts in which players already are past their primes at the start of their contracts.
Young is by no means a perfect player. Undersized at 6 feet 1, and undeniably more focused on the offensive end of the floor, he tended to be a significant defensive liability throughout his Hawks tenure. That trend could worsen if he begins to lose a step (or two) over the next several years.
At the same time, though, Wizards officials have always known that their lineups would have to feature enough positional size and enough defensive-oriented players to compensate for Young’s shortcomings — in the same way that the defensive liabilities of LaMelo Ball, Jalen Brunson, Luka Dončić, Kyrie Irving and Donovan Mitchell (and others) are compensated for by their respective teams.
The Wizards’ decision-makers believe Davis and youngsters Bilal Coulibaly, Davis, George, Sarr and whomever they pick first overall in Tuesday night’s draft will develop into strong enough defenders to help Young.
Young appeared in only five games for Washington last season after his trade from Atlanta for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. That was a large enough sample size to demonstrate how his gravity and his passing skill could create open shots for his new teammates. George, Tre Johnson and others should receive more wide-open 3-point looks when Young directs the offense, and Sarr and Davis should feast on lobs from Young in pick-and-rolls.
Only 16 players in NBA history have averaged at least 20 points and 10 assists per game in the same season, according to Basketball Reference. Young is one of those players, and he has done it three times, during the 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. The only other players who have had at least three seasons of at least 20 points and 10 assists per game are James Harden (four times), Kevin Johnson (three times), Magic Johnson (three times), Oscar Robertson (five times), Isiah Thomas (four times) and Russell Westbrook (five times).
The franchise expects Young to make Washington’s offense more efficient and, because opponents will have to take the ball out of their net more often, give Washington’s defense more opportunities to set itself.
July 6 is the first day when new free-agent contracts may be signed and made official.
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