La Conner Weekly News - Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper

The most important issue we will be looking at this year when voting for legislative candidates is their stance on the recently passed sexual education bill (ESSB 5395). As grandparents who care deeply about their grandchildren, we are appalled to see the state mandating this curriculum be taught throughout the state.

Without question, this bill takes away local and parental control in schools. Local school districts exist to decide what is best for their community. At our local school board, we can clearly voice our opinion and be heard; however, in the legislature, our voice is one of many and our emails are often ignored or answered in a general response probably sent from a staff member.

Regardless if you agree with the content in the curriculum (we do not), decisions of this magnitude should be left up to local school boards who more accurately represent their community.

For the above stated reasons, we will be casting our ballots for Greg Gilday for state representative. Greg has openly expressed his opposition to the sexual education bill that was passed last session and is encouraging a reject vote on R-90. We encourage all parents and grandparents with loved ones in our local schools to do the same.

Dan and Marguerite Wenceslao

Stanwood