Did you hear the news? According to the Nation’s Report Card released this morning by the Department of Education, math scores for students in fourth and eighth grade declined by the largest margin ever. This devastating report comes just weeks after reading scores for elementary school students plunged to their lowest levels since 1990.

We aren’t just talking about a point or two. Scores dropped by so much that experts believe students have lost an entire year’s worth of learning. This is more devastating than any of us could have imagined when we were sounding the alarm about the severe consequences politically-influenced school closures and remote learning would have on our kids’ education and well-being.

Last week, the CDC voted to add the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of routine immunizations for children 6 months and older. That means healthy children could be forced to either get vaccinated or risk falling even further behind in school if Governor Inslee uses the CDC’s recommendation to abuse his power and issue more mandates.

That’s why I’m putting him on notice. It would be unjustifiable for our governor to use this recommendation – which is out of step with other countries that have said there is “no clear benefit” to vaccinating young children – to issue yet another unscientific, heavy-handed mandate that doesn’t take a child’s overall well-being into account. 

Our kids are already suffering the consequences of Governor Inslee’s school closures and mask mandates. They can’t afford to be kept out of the classroom by another one. I’m a mom to three school-aged kids, and I will always stand with parents in Eastern Washington who know what’s best for their kids and refuse to see their rights stripped away by the government. 

CLICK HERE to read my letter demanding Governor Inslee leave this decision to parents and their pediatricians.