Voting on Sex Ed



This post is not meant to promote or condemn sex education in public schools—it’s meant to congratulate a small group of Washington citizens who garnered a record number of signatures during a pandemic, allowing Referendum 90 to be on November’s ballot. The intent of Referendum 90 is to allow voters a chance to weigh-in on Washington’s comprehensive sex-ed measure passed by the legislature and signed into law by Governor Jay Inslee late last year.




Whitney Holz of Informed Parents of Washington was overwhelmed by the support of parents and community members as they gathered signatures. Their issue with the current law is that it doesn’t allow enough local control. The Informed Parents are not against sex education in school—but are concerned with losing the opportunity to have input into the programs selected and how it is presented to children. 


Certainly there are those who may not want any sex ed in schools, and regardless if Referendum 90 passes, parents can opt their kids out. Spoiler alert: Comprehensive Sex Ed is here to stay.







The arguments about early sexualization of our kids are real—but this isn’t the world I grew up in. Kids are bombarded with sexualized messages. Child abuse is also real, and kids need to know what’s appropriate touch and what isn’t. Sex education can help in this—so can parents talking with their children. Informed Parents of Washington want the opportunity to be part of the curriculum decision making, rather than the government. 


Regardless of your vote, you have to hand it to a group of citizens concerned enough about the quality and content of their children’s education that they were able to do this in record time with a record amount of signatures. That’s democracy in action. 


Sadly, as a long-term school volunteer, I wish we could have this kind of interest, involvement, and impact every school year—from folks on both sides of the issue. Education for our students is so much more than sex ed, and having school volunteers is as critical as the curriculum. I say this too often, but the future success of our nation depends on today's kids.


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