Teacher Breaks with Union Leadership Over Opposition to Parental Rights Initiatives

Not just a Teacher, he was an NEA Represenntaive at the School

(Special Note: HeyWire’s exclusive and Seattle Red 770AM brought this to our attention. Check them out for more on this story and undoubtedly other interesting posts.)

A teacher and elected local union representative in Washington state is publicly criticizing the Washington Education Association union (WEA) for its stance against voter-backed initiatives that aim to enhance parental rights and school transparency in public education.

Travis Reep, who teaches in North Thurston Public Schools and serves as an elected representative in the North Thurston Education Association (a local affiliate of the WEA), stated in an exclusive interview that the union’s state-level leadership does not align with the day-to-day realities he observes in classrooms.¹ He accused the WEA of mischaracterizing the initiatives and framing educators as adversaries to parents.

Reep specifically highlighted concerns over the union’s efforts to block measures that would require greater parental notification and involvement, particularly in areas related to students’ mental health and well-being. He pointed to the chronic shortage of mental health specialists and resources in Washington public schools, arguing that opposing transparency creates unnecessary obstacles for families seeking external support.

“We all the time talk about in education how we don’t have enough mental health specialists. We don’t have enough resources in these areas,” Reep said. “And yet we, with this initiative, trying to block this initiative, we are setting up even more boundaries where parents and families who might have the opportunity to go and find private counseling or private doctor or private medical care don’t have that ability because they don’t know they need it.”²

Reep further criticized union rhetoric that equates the withholding of certain gender-affirming care with abuse, asserting that such positions override parental authority and place teachers in difficult legal and ethical binds. He emphasized: “They’re putting themselves against parents. They’re saying ‘we know better than parents know their own children.’”³

While Reep made clear he takes no moral stance on individual family decisions regarding their children, he advocated strongly for parents to have full knowledge to inform those choices: “I am not making a moral decision on what a family decides to do with their child. What I’m advocating for is that they have the knowledge to make that choice on their own.”⁴

The initiatives in question stem from ongoing efforts to restore or strengthen elements of Initiative 2081 (the original Parents’ Bill of Rights, enacted in 2024), which provided parents’ rights to review educational materials, receive notifications about certain services or changes, and opt out of specific programs like sexual health education.⁵ Portions of that measure were amended by the Legislature in 2025 via House Bill 1296, which removed or limited some notification requirements related to medical services, mental health counseling, and follow-up care.⁶

Recent signature-gathering campaigns (including IL26-001) seek to reinstate broader parental access and transparency, amid claims that current laws restrict parents’ ability to access student records, including health and counseling information.⁷

Reep referenced existing state law (RCW 70.02.240), which limits educators’ ability to share certain mental health-related information with parents proactively, as one factor complicating the debate and underscoring the need for clearer parental involvement.⁸

This public dissent from a union insider highlights tensions between local educators’ perspectives and state-level union boss priorities, particularly on issues where ideology, resource constraints, and family authority intersect in public schools.

Endnotes

1. Seattle Red Staff, “Teacher warns WEA is putting ideology over families,” Seattle Red, January 21, 2026, https://seattlered.com/education/teacher-wea-parental-rights/4116181. Reep’s role and interview source (Heywire.org screengrab) are detailed in the original article.
2. Ibid. Direct quote from Travis Reep in the Heywire.org interview as reported.
3. Ibid. Direct quote from Travis Reep.
4. Ibid. Direct quote from Travis Reep.
5. Ballotpedia, “Washington Initiative 2081, Parental Right to Review Education Materials, Receive Notifications, and Opt Out of Sexual-Health Education Initiative (2024),” accessed January 2026, https://ballotpedia.org/Washington_Initiative_2081,_Parental_Right_to_Review_Education_Materials,_Receive_Notifications,_and_Opt_Out_of_Sexual-Health_Education_Initiative_(2024). Describes the original provisions of I-2081.
6. Ballotpedia, “Washington Parental Right to Review Education Materials, Receive Notifications, and Opt Out of Sexual-Health Education Initiative (2026)” (IL26-001), accessed January 2026, https://ballotpedia.org/Washington_Parental_Right_to_Review_Education_Materials,_Receive_Notifications,_and_Opt_Out_of_Sexual-Health_Education_Initiative_(2026). Covers the 2025 amendments via HB 1296 and the push to restore elements.
7. Daily Citizen, “Washington State Citizens Fight for Parents’ Rights, Girls Sports,” January 2026, https://dailycitizen.focusonthefamily.com/washington-state-citizens-fight-for-parents-rights-girls-sports. Discusses signature efforts and the history of I-2081/HB 1296 changes.
8. Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 70.02.240, as referenced in the original Seattle Red article, for restrictions on sharing mental health information. Full text available via the Washington State Legislature website.