WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. House of Representatives on May 20 passed HR 2616 which, if signed into law, will require public elementary and middle schools that receive federal funding to obtain parental consent before changing a student’s gender markers, pronouns or preferred name on school records or allowing access to sex-based facilities such as locker rooms or bathrooms.
The PROTECT Kids Act or, in its combined form, the Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act — passed on a 217-198 vote mostly along party lines, with all Republicans in support and a handful of Democrats from competitive districts crossing over.
Democrat Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA03) joined Republicans Dan Newhouse (R-WA04) and Michael Baumgartner (R-WA05) as the only members of the Washington state delegation to vote in support of the legislation which now heads to the Senate.
Republican Rep. Tim Walberg, of Michigan introduced the legislation back in April of 2025.
“Parents should never be misled or lied to by school administrators,” an excerpt from a House Education and Workforce Committee report stated.
Democrats and LGBTQ+ advocates condemned the measure as dangerous federal overreach that could endanger transgender and gender-expansive students.
Democratic Rep. Mark Takano, of Calif., chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, called the PROTECT Kids Act a “federal Don’t Say Trans bill that would also require schools to forcibly out transgender students — even if doing so would put the student in immediate danger.”
The National Education Association (NEA) urged lawmakers to reject the bill, saying it would force educators “to betray their students and violate their own professional standards.” The Human Rights Campaign, ACLU and GLSEN warned it could “chill” classroom discussion on gender or sexual orientation.
Washington State law and school district policies often do not require automatic parental notification for a student’s gender expression or identity updates unless the information is part of an official education record. Washington public schools, under OSPI guidelines, must respect students’ gender identity, allow them to be addressed by their requested name and pronouns.
If the PROTECT Kids Act is signed into law, the federal mandate would override the aforementioned practices for roughly 2,000 elementary and middle schools across the state that rely on ESEA funds — which is nearly all.
Districts would then be faced with a choice: seek parental consent for every such changes or risk losing millions in federal dollars. Noncompliance by Washington schools could trigger funding cuts, legal challenges and policy overhauls where current policies affirm students’ rights to gender-affirming school environments.
Author: Mario Lotmore
