Lynnwood’s council has no business campaigning against parents and girls’ sports

Lynnwood’s City Council used its official voice against parents on Monday, Oct. 26, and it did so unanimously. The Lynnwood City Council unanimously approved a resolution Monday opposing two statewide ballot initiatives on the November 2026 ballot, the Lynnwood Times reported. Councilmember Isabel Mata introduced the resolution opposing IL26-001, which would restore Washington’s 2024 parental-rights law. It also opposes IL26-638, which keeps girls’ K-12 sports for girls. The resolution contends IL26-001 could weaken protections by “discouraging confidential outreach to trusted school staff.”¹ Parents, not a city council, hold the first responsibility for their children’s upbringing, and voters, not councils, decide statewide initiatives.

The fight began on Sept. 8, when Mata failed to get two colleagues to bring the item to a future meeting, and only Chelsea Wright backed her, the Herald reported². Seven weeks later, the same council put its name on the opposition. KIRO co-host Ursula Reutin defended nonbinding resolutions: “Because in my opinion, it’s just another way to educate people. And now you know where they stand.”³

Parents have the right to direct their children’s upbringing

Parents have the natural right and responsibility to direct their children’s care, education and upbringing. That change would restore parents’ access to school counseling and social-work records, which the 2025 rewrite removed, the Herald reported. The original 2024 measure passed unanimously in the Senate, 49-0. The House approved it 82-15. The 2025 rewrite removed parental access to some school records, including school counseling and social work documents, the Herald reported².

Supporters say the measure would restore parents’ rights to be notified before their child receives medical or mental health services at school¹. Notice is the floor of parental authority, and a city council voted against it.

The WIAA left its girls’ sports policy unchanged

IL26-638 would prohibit students defined as “biologically male” from competing in school athletic activities intended for female students only, and it requires a health-care provider’s verification of biological sex. Medical professionals have said that the verification process would go beyond what is currently required for sports physicals². The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association considered two advisory proposals on transgender participation in April 2025, and neither reached the 60 percent threshold required for passage. The association’s existing policy, which encourages students to participate in athletics consistent with their gender identity, remained in effect¹. The WIAA left girls’ sports under that policy, and the council wants it to stay there.

The council’s campaign still uses public staff time

The council argues that parental access could deter students experiencing abuse, domestic violence or bullying from seeking confidential help at school. The resolution itself says it is non-binding and will not nullify public votes on the two initiatives¹. A council that writes an official opposition on city letterhead, with staff hours it has already paid for, is using city government to campaign. The taxpayers who fund those staff hours are the families this resolution is about.

Washington voters—not city councils—decide

Lynnwood is not alone, and the Herald counted the wider push: since July, at least 12 local bodies have passed resolutions opposing IL26-001 and IL26-638, including Mountlake Terrace and Bothell. State law allows the practice as long as the public has an equal chance to argue the other side, the Herald reported². Legal permission does not make it right for a council to turn its office into a campaign platform against parents. On Nov. 3, Washington voters, not Lynnwood’s council or any other city council, will decide IL26-001 and IL26-638. Before then, residents should ask their councillors one question: whose side is the city’s paid staff working on, and should the answer be parents?

Sources

1. Lynnwood Council passes resolution opposing both Parental Rights and Fairness in Girls' Sports initiatives - Lynnwood Times
2. Cities in Snohomish County weigh taking stances on state initiatives | HeraldNet.com
3. ‘There should be no hate towards this group of people’: Gee backs city councilmembers taking stands on statewide initiatives