At Monday’s Battle Ground School District meeting, trustees discussed several pieces of state legislation and an apparent pause on state land sales that could affect expected revenue.

Director Terry Tate, reporting from the legislative session, said there are four numbered proposals tied to the recently enacted “parents’ bill of rights” (referred to in the meeting by bill numbers 51-81, 51-80, 51-23 and 51-79). Tate said one measure he testified on—51-79—would expand the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction’s (OSPI) role by allowing citizen complaints to trigger OSPI investigations and enforcement actions in place of court challenges; he said he was uneasy about a process that would shift dispute resolution toward administrative complaint handling rather than litigation.

Tate and citizen speakers also flagged that the state placed a hold on certain land sales; Tate said the sale that would have produced district revenue “has not gone through” and that low estimates of proceeds were about $400,000 with higher estimates near $700,000. He said sales are on hold pending an assessment tied to recent elections and broader policy review.

In public comment, Eunice Inkermanson urged the board to consider how changes in federal and state law affect protections for students, while Jennifer Heiney Withy summarized bills she had testified on and said some proposed measures would roll back elements of last year’s parents’ bill of rights and could, in her view, remove parental access to certain records or notification rights. She also warned that some draft bills could create conflicts with recent federal regulations and cited possible risks to federal funding if those conflicts are not resolved.

Board members emphasized they were sharing concerns raised at the legislature and in public comment; no formal board action or policy change was taken at Monday’s meeting. The trustees said they will continue to monitor legislative developments and may return with recommended board positions or administrative guidance if statutory changes require district adjustments.

The board also acknowledged a gubernatorial proclamation recognizing January 2025 as School Board Recognition Month; the proclamation by Gov. Bob Ferguson was read at the meeting but did not require board action.