Washington Considers Bill to Limit School Records Misuse

Washington bill targets misuse of public records requests by or against school districts

Lawmakers in Washington are considering a bill aimed at limiting misuse of the state’s Public Records Act (PRA) when it places heavy burdens on school districts.

What House Bill 2661 Proposes

House Bill 2661, introduced by Republican Rep. Skyler Rude of Walla Walla, focuses on records requests that are “frivolous, retaliatory, or harassing.” The bill directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee to form a work group to study how such requests affect school districts, with participation from organizations that make and respond to records requests.

Rude, ranking minority member of the House Education Committee, said excessive PRA requests divert resources away from student instruction. “If the PRA allows someone to submit dozens and dozens of the exact same requests just for the intent of being harassing, we need to make some updates,” he said.

School Districts Bear the Cost

School officials told lawmakers the issue is costly. Fred Rundle, superintendent of Mercer Island School District, said his district has spent more than $85,000 and hired a half-time public records officer to handle requests. Tamara Kimberley, public records officer for West Valley School District in Spokane Valley, said her time responding to requests has grown from five to ten hours per month to 25–30 hours. In 2025, her district received 77 requests.

Legal and Privacy Concerns

Tyna Ek, general counsel for the Washington Schools Risk Management Pool, noted that many school requests involve children or ongoing litigation, which raises legal and privacy concerns, increasing costs for districts.

Transparency Advocates Weigh In

Transparency advocates will also be involved in the work group. Ellen Hiatt, executive director of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association and board member of the Washington Coalition for Open Government, emphasized that access to public records is “a basic part of open government infrastructure, just like sewage and roads.” Rowland Thompson, representing the Allied Daily Newspapers of Washington and the Washington State Association of Broadcasters, said growing government recordkeeping and online access has created a “perfect storm” for records requests.

Public Records Act Background

The Public Records Act, approved by state voters in a 1972 initiative, is intended to promote government transparency, but lawmakers and school officials said the law is being misused in ways that can strain district resources..

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