Being a parent is nonstop hard work, making it challenging to stay on top of news that impacts families in Washington state. This Hits Home is your weekly hit of news, commentary, and, occasionally, opinion. Want to have a say? Look for the “Take action” prompts. Here’s the update for the week of May 11-17.
Providence Regional Medical Center Everett (Image: Cindy Shepley)
Washington AG sues Providence Health for denying accommodations to pregnant and nursing staff
Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown has filed a lawsuit against Providence Health & Services, alleging the hospital system repeatedly denied legally required accommodations to pregnant and nursing employees across Washington state.
The complaint, filed in King County Superior Court, alleges that, since at least 2021, employees — including many nurses — have been denied accommodations such as more opportunities to sit during long shifts, limits on heavy lifting, schedule flexibility for prenatal appointments, and adequate private spaces and break time to pump breast milk.
According to the lawsuit, some employees who requested accommodations faced retaliation, including termination, forced leave, or assignment to more physically demanding duties. Providence denied the allegations:
“Providence is committed to caring for our caregivers, including supporting caregiver health and workplace accommodations,” the statement said. “We strive to fully apply and comply with all relevant federal, state, and local laws and regulations governing pregnancy-related health needs and accommodations. We take concerns in this area seriously and continually work to strengthen our policies, training, and processes so our caregivers are supported.”
Earlier talks between the AG’s office and the health system broke down, both sides said. The state is seeking court orders requiring Providence to comply with Washington law as well as damages for affected workers.
In Seattle, its network includes affiliations with secular partners Swedish Health Services and Pacific Medical Centers. According to the Providence website, the system employs more than 40,000 at 15 locations across the state. Read the full story.
Gov. Bob Ferguson signs House Bill 1296 earlier this year. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard)
Judge rejects lawsuit against rewrite of WA parental rights law
A Washington judge on Friday sided with the state, turning back a lawsuit seeking to block a controversial 2025 “parental rights” law for public school students. The deeply partisan debate over the legislation was one of the most contentious of the 2025 legislative session. The law is enmeshed in broader political debates over how schools handle sensitive issues related to gender identity and inclusion, with critics arguing it gives the state more power than parents in their children’s education and forces superintendents to comply with a state law that they say may be at odds with the U.S. Constitution. The law holds superintendents accountable and allows the state to withhold school funding for violations. Thurston County Superior Court Judge John Skinder acknowledged the case over House Bill 1296 is likely to be appealed. A repeal initiative will go to voters on the Nov. 3 ballot.
The 2025 rewrite of Washington’s original 2024 “parental rights” initiative extended the deadline for schools to provide student records from 10 days to 45 days and intensified debates over parental access to information involving student gender identity, medical privacy, and school transparency policies. Read more from the Washington State Standard.
Ultrasound of gorilla pregnancy at Woodland Park Zoo (Image: Courtesy WPZ)
Gorilla Labor watch at Woodland Park Zoo
Two western lowland gorillas at Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo are now under 24-hour “birth watch” as their due dates approach, just five days apart later this month. Olympia is expected to give birth around May 19, followed by Jamani on May 24, marking what zoo staff hope will be a joyful milestone for the critically endangered species. Overnight volunteers are remotely monitoring the gorillas through bedroom cameras, tracking behavior changes and early signs of labor while keepers remain on call around the clock.
The pregnancies are especially meaningful because Olympia and Jamani have already raised babies together. The two gorillas, who arrived in Seattle from the North Carolina Zoo in 2022, each gave birth to sons just weeks apart in 2012. Zoo officials say the new arrivals will play an important role in conservation efforts for western lowland gorillas, a species facing severe population declines in the wild due to habitat loss, poaching, and disease. In 2024, a gorilla named Akenji, a first-time mom, gave birth to a male baby but was unable to care for it. Baby Abeo (ah-BAY-oh) was transferred from WPZ to Kentucky’s Louisville Zoo to be fostered by another caring mother gorilla.
Dear Mice (Image courtesy Yale School of Public Health)
County health officials monitoring 4 residents exposed to Hantavirus, but stress risk is low
King County residents may have been exposed to the hantavirus that has killed and sickened passengers aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship. One resident is currently quarantined with other Americans in Nebraska. Another two exposed King County residents have returned home and are isolating. Public Health — Seattle & King County officials said Tuesday that the risk to the public remains low.
Learn more about residents being monitored for the virus,
In the meantime, local health experts say the risk to people in King County remains very low. According to Dr. Jocelyn Mullins, a public health veterinarian with Public Health – Seattle & King County, the outbreak involves Andes hantavirus — a strain found in parts of Argentina and Chile that is not present in the United States. While Andes hantavirus is the only known type capable of spreading between people, transmission requires prolonged close contact and is far less contagious than viruses like COVID-19.
Mullins said that, locally, a concern is a different strain of hantavirus called Sin Nombre, carried by deer mice in Washington state. King County has recorded just six cases since 1997. People are most at risk when cleaning enclosed spaces where rodents have nested — such as cabins, sheds, garages, barns, or trailers — because the virus can spread through dust contaminated with rodent droppings, urine, or saliva. Health officials warn against sweeping or vacuuming rodent waste, which can send virus particles into the air. Instead, they recommend wetting materials with disinfectant, wiping surfaces carefully, and wearing gloves and protective clothing during cleanup.
As families head into spring camping, cabin-opening, and garage-cleaning season, the public health department offers this simple reminder: take rodents seriously, but don’t panic. Public health officials say awareness and careful cleaning practices remain the best defenses against this rare disease. Read the Public Health Insider Q & A about preventing hantavirus.
Screenshot
Kid in college or headed there? Federal changes will make loans more costly and harder to get
Major changes to the federal student loan system are set to take effect on July 1, reshaping how families borrow and repay college costs. The overhaul, tied to the Republican tax-and-spending package signed by President Donald Trump last year, will eliminate the Grad PLUS loan program for new borrowers, cap several federal loan programs, and replace existing repayment options with just two plans for future borrowers. Critics warn the changes could make higher education more expensive and harder to access — especially for students from lower-income families.
While many of the new limits target graduate and professional students, families with children entering undergraduate programs could also be affected. Parent PLUS loans, often used to help cover gaps in tuition and housing costs, will now carry a $20,000 annual cap and a $65,000 lifetime cap per student. Policy advocates interviewed by States Newsroom warned that tighter federal lending limits may push more families toward private student loans, which often carry higher costs and fewer borrower protections. Others fear some students may rethink college plans altogether if financing becomes harder to secure.
The changes also arrive amid a broader restructuring of the federal student loan system. Beginning this summer, new borrowers will choose between an income-based Repayment Assistance Plan or a fixed-payment Tiered Standard plan. Meanwhile, the Treasury Department is beginning to take over management of defaulted federal student loans as the Trump administration continues efforts to reduce the U.S. Department of Education’s role. Read the full story by the States Newsroom.
Airlift Northwest helicopter serves Seattle Children’s Hospital and others (Image: JT Ramsey)
Seattle Children’s Hospital and Laurelhurst community will revisit restrictive helicopter landing rules
Seattle Children’s Hospital and the Laurelhurst Community Council say they will revisit a decades-old agreement that limits which medical helicopters can land directly at the hospital — a move supporters say could speed emergency care for critically ill children. The announcement follows public backlash over a 1992 agreement allowing only the “most critical and life-threatening” cases to land at Seattle Children’s, while other pediatric patients flown in by helicopter must land near University Village and complete the final mile by ambulance. Hospital doctors and transport staff say the system can delay care and place added pressure on flight crews forced to defend landing decisions during emergencies.
The agreement also established strict flight paths over Laurelhurst, pilot training requirements, oversight reviews, and reporting rules to reduce neighborhood impacts from helicopter traffic. In a joint statement on Friday, the neighborhood council said it supports Seattle Children’s efforts to seek city approval to end the Medical Review Committee’s oversight of helicopter landings. Hospital leaders say they ultimately hope to eliminate the restrictions entirely and route all helicopter transport flights directly to the hospital campus, though any changes would still require city approval. Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson backed the proposal Friday, calling it a partnership that prioritizes the needs of critically ill children. For more on this story go to KUOW.
(Image: iStock.com)
Opponents begin gathering signatures to repeal state “millionaire’s tax”
Opponents of Washington’s new tax on high earners say they’ll begin gathering signatures this fall for a ballot initiative aimed at repealing the ‘“millionaire’s tax’“ before it takes effect. Leaders from Let’s Go Washington, the conservative anti-tax group, said they expect to gather enough signatures to put the question to voters.
The tax, signed earlier this year by Gov. Bob Ferguson, is projected to generate $3 billion to $4 billion annually — funding earmarked for public schools, universities, healthcare, child care and early learning programs. Make your voice heard on this issue through letters to the editor and other public platforms. Read more from The Seattle Times.
Katy Faust, founder of Them Before Us (Image: Them Before Us website)
Here in oh-so-progressive Seattle?
Seattle may be a bastion of liberalism as residents come out en masse LGBTQ+ rights, but not all residents here believe those rights should include marriage. I was interested to read in The Seattle Times last week that a local is the president and founder of a group determined to end same-sex marriage by getting the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse its 2015 landmark same-sex legalizing decision (Obergefell v. Hodges). The group, Them Before Us, says its goal is to preserve families with its mission to protect “every child’s right to their mother and father.” Group leader, Katy Faust, has been a rising figure in national conservative circles. The article is a good reminder that the fight to secure or break marriages and family rights are not only taking place “there.” It’s happening everywhere.
Read the full story and learn the timeline of marriage equality in Washington in The Seattle Times.
Shoe tying is a skill early learners are arrving at school without. (Image: Cascade Canyon, / CC 2.0)
Early learners arriving at school are less prepared, but parenting is only one of several factors at play
A new national survey of more than 1,100 early educators finds that many young children are arriving at school less prepared than expected, particularly in terms of social-emotional skills and basic independence skills — like tying shoes. Teachers report deficits in areas like following directions, managing emotions, and completing simple tasks. While many teachers say “permissive parenting” plays a big role in a child’s lack of preparedness, the issue is far more complex than pinning the blame on parents.
Researchers and educators say both families and schools are operating under shared strain—including time pressures, limited child care options, and continued post-pandemic disruptions that have reduced opportunities for early social development. In fact, teachers and parents alike report high stress, suggesting that what’s showing up in classrooms reflects broader systemic challenges, not just parenting choices. Check out the full story in Education Week.
South Park CC and Playfields are now open (Image: Seattle Parks and Recreation)
South Park Community Center and South Park Playfields now open
Seattle Parks and Recreation will celebrate the reopening of the renovated South Park Community Center with a community parade on Saturday, May 9, ahead of the center’s official reopening on Monday, May 11. The parade begins at 11:45 a.m. at the corner of South Sullivan Street and Eighth Avenue South and marks the completion of an $11 million overhaul of the community center and adjoining South Park Playfields.
Renovations addressed long-standing maintenance, accessibility, and programming concerns. Larger park redevelopment includes new synthetic turf fields, a circular walking trail, updated LED stadium lighting designed to reduce light pollution, playgrounds, outdoor fitness areas, an off-leash dog park, and a spray park expected to open this summer. A $4 million contribution from Seattle Academy helped fund the outdoor improvements in an agreement with the City of Seattle. Under the agreement, community drop-in access to the fields will remain protected for at least five years, while the school’s athletic programs will be allowed limited annual use during sports seasons. Read more on the new center and fields in the South Seattle Emerald.
(Image: Cascade PBS)
U.S. test scores show a ‘generation-long’ decline; Seattle is a bit better
New national test score data released Wednesday paints a stark picture of American education: students across much of the country are performing significantly worse than they were a decade ago, and researchers say the declines began before the pandemic. Although also experiencing the decline, data on Seattle students show they are doing better than the national average.
According to the Stanford Educational Opportunity Project’s new district-level test score data released on Wednesday, reading scores fell in 83% of school districts across the country between 2015 and 2025, while math scores dropped in 70% of districts studied. The analysis covered districts in 40 states and Washington, D.C., representing about two-thirds of U.S. school districts.
Researchers describe the score reductions as a long-term “learning recession,” rather than a short-term COVID setback, given that reading scores began slipping sharply before school shutdowns and have continued to drop in recent years.
The Seattle news is better. According to the data, in Seattle:
- Test scores are 1.23 grade levels above the U.S. average.
- Students learn 16.9% more each grade than the U.S. average.
- Test scores are improving (by an average of 0.12 grade levels each year).
- Learning rates are improving (increasing by an average of 0.015 grade levels each year) over time.
When compared to places with similar socioeconomic status districts across the country, in Seattle:
- Test scores are roughly equal.
- Learning rates are higher.
- Test scores are improving faster.
- Learning rates are improving faster.
A constellation of factors may be playing a role in the national decline, according to education experts: the rollback of federal school accountability policies after the No Child Left Behind Act ended in 2015, declining student mental health, cellphones in schools, the rise of social media, and more. Check out the data on Seattle schools.
A malnourished child in Dolo Ado, Ethiopia. (Image: DFID licensed under CC BY 2.0)
The cost of Trump policies: A projected 2.5 million children dead 2030 | Op-Ed
Since Donald Trump re-entered the White House in 2024 and leveled America’s humanitarian aid system many, many people have died, including an unfathomable number of children. I’ve been following the impacts of aid cuts for a year, trying to keep a tally of the young lives lost (not to mention the adults) from lack a medication, vaccines, food once provided under a USAID mission to “partner to end extreme poverty and to promote resilient, democratic societies.”
But I admit, I lost track of my tally.
Nicholas Kristof, longtime opinion columnist following U.S. foreign affairs, has not.
In a powerful op-ed published in last week, the Oregon-raised journalist outlines the growing human toll — likely hundreds of thousands dead —since the Trump administration’s sweeping cuts to U.S. foreign aid programs. The piece cites research projecting that continued cuts could contribute to 9.4 million deaths globally by 2030 — including 2.5 million children under age 5 — linked to interrupted vaccine programs, HIV/AIDS treatment, malaria prevention, and emergency food support in some of the world’s poorest countries.
Children dying from these disruptions are not “our” children. They are, however, children the United States publicly committed to help through decades of bipartisan humanitarian programs aimed at reducing starvation, disease, and preventable death. Kristof raises a critical questions for us: Do we, as Americans, still see those lives as part of the country’s moral responsibility? What does it mean globally when one of the world’s wealthiest nations steps back from promises that millions of families had come to depend on?
I cannot speak for others, but as an American and a parent, my heart, my sense of decency, my hope for the future are grounded that responsibility: Children, no matter where they are born, no matter the circumstances of their family or country, are innocent and must be protected. No where is that moral obligation greater to the world than in the United States of America. Read Kristof’s full opinion, “This is What Happened When Trump Abandoned the World’s Poorest Children.”
Another one for the whole family: Beaver baby cam
Yes, another cute — and educational! — animal video. In a world where so much painful news churns through our inboxes daily, reminders of the simple, the serene, the sweet act as a counterbalance. With that in mind, behold the Cowlitz Beaver (ɬə́qʼƛʼk to the Cowlitz Indian Tribe) Kit Cam — which allows your family to view a new beaver family in real time. The tribe’s Natural Resources Department operates a beaver relocation program to help bolster beaver populations and protect critical freshwater habitats. A pregnant beaver came to the program in April and gave birth to four healthy beaver kits. According to the tribe, “Wild beaver kits typically stay within the lodge for the first five weeks of life. This allows them to remain safe in the confines of a protected structure, grow and gain weight, and develop waterproofing oils for their fur that allow them to dive underwater to evade potential predators. The Tribe’s program will hold this beaver family until the kits are old enough to be released into the wild.”
In the meantime, the Cowlitz Beaver “Kit Cam” lets viewers observe the four baby beavers and their mother in real-time as they grow and learn behaviors essential to survival.
