WA HB1296

Expands Washington's public school anti-discrimination protections to explicitly include ethnicity, homelessness, immigration/citizenship status, and neurodivergence alongside existing protected categories like race, religion, sexual orientation, and gender identity

Creates a formal "Statement of Student Rights" that must be incorporated into civics education and school materials, outlining students' rights to basic education, discrimination-free environments, due process, special education services, and access to historically accurate curriculum

Establishes a complaint process through the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction for addressing willful school district noncompliance with civil rights laws, anti-bullying requirements, curriculum standards, and student discipline rules, with consequences including corrective action plans and withholding up to 20% of state education funds

Prohibits retaliation against school employees who support students' legal rights, teach state learning standards, or use approved instructional materials that include histories and perspectives of historically marginalized groups

Revises parental rights provisions to align with federal FERPA requirements for education records access, require immediate notification when students are alleged victims of abuse by school employees, and add rights related to special education, harassment complaints, and school enrollment options