Washington students should be informed about their government, how voting works, and the importance of civic involvement. I worked with the League of Women Voters, the Council on Legal Public Education, and the Superintendent of Public Instructions to pass a new law that requires all high school students to take a civics course starting in 2020. The course covers:
- Federal, state, tribal, and local government organization and procedures;
- Rights and responsibilities of citizens in the U.S. and Washington constitutions;
- Current issues addressed at each level of government; and
- Electoral issues, including elections, ballot measures, initiatives, and referenda.
The Seattle Times covered the importance of this bill and civics education in an editorial on April 9, 2018.
…a renewed focus on civics education will make it less likely that Washington citizens will be easily duped by online memes misconstruing how government functions. That is part of what state Rep. Laurie Dolan, the Olympia Democrat who sponsored the bill, hopes for.
Read more at the Seattle Times by clicking here.