Two proposed laws slated to appear on the November 2026 general election ballot — IL26-001 and IL26-638 — threaten the health, safety, privacy, and dignity of Washington’s students. Bankrolled by right wing mega-millionaire Brian Heywood, these harmful measures would roll back longstanding protections for children, expose vulnerable youth to greater risk of abuse and harassment, and force intrusive government mandates into schools and families’ lives.

People we trust to look after our youth warn that these initiatives would endanger students while undermining constitutional rights and professional standards of care, contrary to what Brian Heywood and other proponents have claimed in their public statements.

IL26-001 would weaken safeguards that currently protect children from abusive adults by expanding access to sensitive school records — including counseling, health, disciplinary, and social work files — even when a parent or guardian is under criminal investigation for abuse or neglect.

IL26-638 would impose medically unnecessary and invasive requirements on girls who want to participate in school sports, potentially subjecting thousands of minors to physical examinations or testing simply to join their peers in extracurricular activities. Legal analysis suggests these provisions likely violate Washington’s constitutional guarantees of privacy and equal protection.

Educators, nurses, civil rights advocates, and attorneys with a background in constitutional law agree that these initiatives are deceptive and dangerous. From forced outings of LGBTQ+ youth to barriers for children seeking help at school, the measures risk increasing bullying, isolation, and danger for vulnerable young people. Washington’s schools should be places of safety, trust, and learning — not arenas for intrusive mandates and political experiments.

Vote NO on IL26-001 and IL26-638 this autumn to protect students, families, and the fundamental rights of all Washington youth.

Learn more about the initiatives

Video briefing

Experts in their fields provided a briefing on Monday February 2nd for reporters about:

• Harmful impacts on student health and safety of IL26-001, such as sharing student information with adults who are under criminal investigation for abusing their own children
• Likely unconstitutionality of IL26-638 in Washington State
• Physical and psychological harms from requiring medical sex verification on minor girls as required by IL26-638

Watch here:

Kai Smith, Litigation Partner at Pacifica Law Group, explained that IL26-638’s provision requiring doctors to medical certify girls’ sex 

 “..relying only on one or more of the following: The student’s reproductive anatomy, genetic makeup, or normal endogenously produced testosterone levels” (IL26-628 Section 3)

… is likely unconstitutional under Washington State’s constitution because it violates both Washingtonians’ rights to privacy and rights to equal protection. 

Twenty year school nurse Katie Johnson ( DNP, RN, NCSN-E, PHNA-BC, FNASN, FAAN): 

“As a nurse and expert on student health, it’s clear to me IL26-638 will cause more harm to the very girls the initiatives’ backers claim to protect. Only a handful of trangender girls play afterschool sports in Washington, yet IL26-638 will subject thousands of girls each year to invasive and medically unnecessary genital exams to certify their sex just so they can join their friends on an after school team. Under IL26-638, birth certificates would not be accepted as sufficient proof and this poorly written initiative even applies to elementary school girls.” 

Sami Alloy, co-chair of No Hate in WA State:

“Most disturbing about IL26-001 is the language around what records parents who are either under investigation or charged with crimes of abuse against their own children can access. IL26-001 removes protections that currently prevent parents under criminal investigation for abuse or neglect from accessing their kids’ disciplinary, social work, or counseling records. A parent charged with any crime against their own child could access any of these records:  health care, disciplinary, social work, or counseling records.”

Danni Askini, co-chair of No Hate in WA State:

“While Heywood likes to bully trans kids, it’s not just those kids who will be affected by these initiatives. These initiatives could impact any girl playing sports, kids who need to report abuse or neglect in the home, and all parents and students who think curriculums should be determined by educators, and not by extremist groups.”