Republican Bill To Broaden Parents’ Rights Over Children’s Education
In a move aimed at strengthening the rights of parents and giving them more control in classrooms, House Republicans have reintroduced a bill on the Parental Bill of Rights. The bill, which was first introduced in the previous session of Congress, seeks to protect the fundamental rights of parents to make decisions about their children’s upbringing and education.
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The renewed effort, led by Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA) and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), comes as conservatives have been critical of efforts to indoctrinate students into the woke culture through gender-identity books and questionable curriculum. Parents have argued that their voices are not respected, and their involvement has been pushed aside.
“So many times across this nation, we found that parents were attacked, called terrorists, and they simply wanted to go to school boards and be heard,” McCarthy said at an event with parents where he and Letlow announced the bill on Wednesday.
Other GOP leaders were present at the event, including Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and House Education and Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC).
“Unfortunately, the education bureaucracy has branded parents with a scarlet letter — as if to suggest that these dedicated moms and dads are nothing more than radicals who should be pushed away from their child’s educational growth and personal development. I find this to be not only abhorrent but also entirely antithetical to the values that we espouse as Americans,” Foxx stated.
“The Parents Bill of Rights will support parents’ rights movements across America,” the Congresswoman continued, declaring parents “the primary stakeholders in their children’s education.”
Under the proposed law, parent-child privacy protections would be expanded, and public school districts would have to adhere to several transparency requirements. For instance, schools will not be able to subject students to physical or mental health exams without getting approval from their parents first.
According to the legislation, parents will be granted access to curriculum materials and be given a say over whether or not their children should participate in surveys. School districts nationwide will also provide parents with a list of library books.
The reintroduction of the Parental Bill of Rights is a significant step towards the GOP’s aim of protecting the rights of parents and guardians and ensuring that they have a voice in the upbringing and education of their children.
While it has gathered support from over 70 Republican leaders so far, it is likely to face opposition by Democrats at the Senate level and on the president’s desk.