The Roundup: Issues that impact Washington families

Being a parent is nonstop hard work, which makes following all the news happening in the city, state, and U.S. decision-making circles challenging. Here are highlights of Washington state political news for families from last week (July 7-13) and a hint at what’s up this week. I hope you will consider taking action – reaching out to those who represent you and your family in Congress and state offices — on the issues that impact families in our state.

These journalists deserve our support

Take a look at this week’s news coverage at Seattle’s Child, made possible by the skilled journalists at nonprofit news agencies Washington State Standard and Cascade PBS: 

• “WA sues Trump admin over K-12 mental health cuts“
• “Gov. Ferguson commits to Planned Parenthood funding“

TAKE ACTION: Credible news sites are becoming fewer and farther between, and we are grateful for the efforts of these local newsrooms. Support nonprofit journalism and media organizations that adhere to the highest standards of journalism and truth-telling. Donate to Washington State Standard. Donate to Cascade PBS.

A new leader for Washington’s Children’s Alliance

It’s been a few months in the making and a whole lot of input-gathering, but the state’s most influential children’s advocacy organization, Children’s Alliance, has chosen a new leader to replace longtime children’s champion and outgoing Executive Director Dr. Stephan Blanford. 

Last week, Children’s Alliance Board Chair Stephanie Thorpe announced that Dr. Soleil Boyd will assume the position full-time in September. 

“Soleil brings deep knowledge of Washington state policymaking and a strong commitment to racial equity, community-centered advocacy, and collective action,” Thorpe wrote in an email to Alliance members. “She has extensive experience in the early-learning field.”

Boyd began her career as a preschool teacher and was the director of professional learning at the University of Washington. In her most recent role as senior program officer for early learning at Washington STEM, she also helped advance policy change.

Boyd will begin the transition to Children’s Alliance in August. Until she takes over in September, Dr. Blanford will continue to serve as interim executive director. 

TAKE ACTION: Children’s Alliance invites parents to engage with the lawmakers representing them to ensure that the welfare and well-being of children remain the state’s highest priority. Join the organization’s mailing list for updates on where and how to make your voice heard.

Restrict immigrant families from Head Start? Washington says ‘NO!’

Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it would rescind a nearly 30-year-old law to restrict access by immigrant families to Head Start, the nation’s highly effective early childhood education program. 

According to leaders of Head Start, in Washington and around the country, this reinterpretation “unlawfully expands the definition of federal public benefit for HHS under the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) to include Head Start — effectively making certain children ineligible for Head Start for the first time in the program’s history.” 

The Washington State Association of Head Start and Early Childhood Assistance and Education Program and other plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in April challenging the Trump administration’s efforts to defund Head Start. If the new notice restricting immigrant access goes into effect, they vow to amend that suit to include the HHS decision. Among the other plaintiffs are Parent Voices Oakland, Family Forward Oregon, and the Head Start associations of Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. 

“Head Start was created to serve low-income children and families, including immigrant communities who are vital to our economy and our future,” said Joel Ryan, executive director, Washington State Head Start & Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program, in a release.

“This directive attempts to force agencies to turn away the very families we are legally mandated to support. It’s a cruel and unlawful move that threatens the well-being of children and the stability of entire communities.” 

“We urge Head Start providers to continue to serve children and refrain from making any immediate changes to enrollment policy until they have an opportunity to fully evaluate their legal obligations,” Jennie Mauer, executive director of the Wisconsin Head Start Association, added.

TAKE ACTION: The Head Start case is led by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), one of the country’s leading nonprofit defenders of the rights protected by the U.S. Constitution. Donate to help defray Head Start case legal costs.

9-1-1 is calling YOU

A lot is riding on the November 4 ballot in King County, not the least of which is a six-year levy proposal to continue funding the Medic One/Emergency Medical Service program, which manages 9-1-1 calls throughout the county. The current levy approved by voters ends in December. Passage of the new levy proposal would provide nearly $1.5 billion between 2026 and 2031. 

According to Cascade PBS, the ballot measure sets the maximum levy rate at $0.250 per $1,000 of assessed value, or $211 a year for a home assessed at the median of $844,000. 

TAKE ACTION: Yes, it’s still summer, but mark your calendar now for the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 4, and start checking for your mailed ballot in early September. If you don’t see it, go to the King County Elections website to get a replacement ballot.

If Oregon can do it, so can we

We’ve seen the outcomes when schools in Seattle and across Washington have banned cell phones in schools (either by pouch lock-up or completely): 

Students pay attention and exhibit better behavior, and teachers teach more effectively. 

So why not go all the way, as Oregon just did?  By mid-school year 2025-2026, students in Oregon will not be allowed to use their cellphones at school. At all. That’s because Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek issued an executive order last week requiring the state’s 197 school districts to adopt policies banning the use of phones in schools. In doing so, Kotek achieved what Oregon lawmakers could not. During their most recent session, they failed to pass a bill to ban student cellphones. The bill faced significant opposition from school boards and some district leaders, who argued that enforcing such a rule would be too costly. 

According to a report in the Washington State Standard, however, the bill’s sponsor is happy Kotek wielded her executive power: “By getting cellphones out of our schools, Governor Kotek is putting students first,” State Rep. Lisa Reynolds, D-Beaverton, said. Every Oregon student deserves a distraction-free, harassment-free learning environment that fosters curiosity and community.”

There is no statewide ban on cellphones in K–12 schools in Washington. The state legislature floated two bills to restrict student cellphones this year, but neither made it out of the 2025 session.

Hey, Gov. Ferguson, check out the neighbors! Follow Oregon’s lead.

TAKE ACTION: Want Washington’s chief to do what state lawmakers could not and boot student cell phones from schools?  Contact Gov. Ferguson’s office and tell him what you think.

M&M’s not bowing to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

This one in The New York Times caught my eye. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is doing at least one good thing — prioritizing getting synthetic dyes out of foods. Kennedy has launched an all-out attack on such dyes as a tenet of his “Make America Healthy Again.” Already, many popular kid-oriented food manufacturers are toeing the line with a promise to stop using synthetic dyes by the end of 2027. According to the Times, products like Lucky Charms cereal, Jell-O snacks, and Kool-Aid drinks will all lose those chemicals.

But M&Ms? Kennedy has a harder sell with Mars, the company that makes one of America’s most popular colorful candies. 

According to the news report, the company is hinting it will hold out until the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rules require it to stop using non-natural dyes. The company released a statement saying its candies are “safe to enjoy and meet the high standards and applicable regulations set by food safety authorities around the world.” Check out the full story in The New York Times.

TAKE ACTION: There is good evidence that certain synthetic food dyes may be hazardous to human health. Check the labels and serve your kids foods that use only natural colors.

Sen. Murray demands Trump restore after-school program funding

Last week, Washington State Sen. Patty Murray, a Democrat, joined Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) in sending a letter to the Trump administration demanding the immediate release of federal funds for K-12 schools and adult literacy programs. Earlier this month, the administration put a hold on $6 billion in funds already appropriated to pay for extracurricular programs.

“We insist you immediately reverse your decision to illegally withhold federal education funding appropriated by Congress and provide the funds as the law requires,” the senators wrote.

In Washington, the hold means school districts stand to lose $137 million, which could put many districts, which have already obligated the funds, into crisis. 

According to a report in The Hill, the senators’ letter outlines the illegality of the administration’s move: “These funds were made available by the bipartisan Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, signed into law on March 15, 2025. Yet, instead of supporting the tens of millions of students and adult learners intended to benefit from these investments, the administration has chosen to continue an unprecedented and opaque ‘programmatic review’ of these formula grant funds past the July 1, 2025, date these funds became available for allotment to states.”

The cuts impact the following programs, which Trump has sought to eliminate:

• Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants, which support professional development and other activities to improve the effectiveness of teachers and school leaders, including reducing class size.
• 21st Century Community Learning Centers, which support high-quality before- and after-school programs focused on providing academic enrichment opportunities for students.
• Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants provide flexible funding for school districts to support a wide range of activities, including STEM education, accelerated learning courses, college and career counseling, school-based mental health services, and improving school technology, among many others.
• English Language Acquisition, which supports language instruction to help English language learners become proficient in English.
• Migrant Education, which supports the educational needs of migratory children, including children of migrant and seasonal farmworkers.
• Adult Basic and Literacy Education State Grants (including Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education State Grants), which support adult education and literacy programs to provide the basic skills to help prepare adults and out-of-school youth for success in the workforce.

TAKE ACTION: Join Sen. Murray in calling on the administration and other members of Congress to restore funding to these K-12 programs. Contact the White House and your congressional members.

A good question

Danny Westneat, columnist for the Seattle Times, lays out the scary picture of a local ICE raid and makes an essential point about the Trump administration’s deportation policy: Why are raiders wearing masks? 

And why am I including it here? Because we have children and the parents being targeted by ICE have children. Can you imagine the trauma and confusion of our children at seeing unmasked, unidentified people pulling family members or beloved neighbors into unmarked white vans and whisking them away? Parents, the Trump administration just got a big check to expand its raids on immigrants. There’s a good chance a whole lot more kids will witness such scary episodes. Along with fighting back, we need to have answers for our kids questions. Check out the column “The masks couldn’t hide the folly of White Center ICE raid | Danny Westneat.” 

More news from this week:

• “Congress Passes a National School Voucher Program“
• “Judge blocks Trump’s birthright citizenship order after Supreme Court ruling“
• “Heightened immigration scrutiny disrupting family travel“