Nope, kids don’t have to be taught to read by sight, that comes automatically once they master phonics. Don’t get caught up in their BS that the best solution is a mix of both, do not! Phonics is the ONLY approach to teach kids reading.
It’s similar to people like Colin Powell saying that conservatives are a bit too ‘rough around the edges’ and liberals have valid points - so Trump should alternate judicial selections with Schumer for the best outcome for the country. Or that calculators should be used in kindergarten, but not all the time.
There are ABSOLUTES and teaching sight words in any form is simply DESTRUCTIVE to kids, and will screw them up as they try to figure out whether to apply phonics or sight words, when they see something new. Stay away from sight words!
BobL perfectly expresses almost everything there is to say on the subject. If you don’t trust me, please trust him.