Rude’s school board transparency bill becomes law
By Terry Murry on Tuesday, April 18th, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
OLYMPIA – Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has signed into law House Bill 1210, introduced by Rep. Skyler Rude (R-Walla Walla), which requires all school district board meetings be audio recorded, subject to exceptions for executive sessions and emergencies.
“This is a great bill in support of a more transparent government,” Rude said. “It is important for parents, students, and the public to have access to what’s happening in our school board meetings.”
The audio recordings must include comments made by the board and the public if formal public testimony was accepted. Audio recordings must be kept for at least one year. When possible, school districts are encouraged to make the content of school board meetings available in formats accessible to those needing communication assistance and in languages other than English.
“Parents, students, and the public often hear stories of what happened in a meeting, but often there is no primary record of it, and meeting minutes aren’t designed to capture discussion and context around board action,” Rude said. “This is a simple solution to allow working parents who can’t attend each board meeting to stay current on what’s happening.”
The bill passed the Legislature with strong bipartisan support. It will go into effect later this year.
