Congratulations, parents. You have done a great job letting people know that you really do care about your kids’ education. And even better, lawmakers are taking their marching orders from you. Parentalrights.org recently covered the latest information about legislation being passed to protect your rights and the rights of your children. I’ll cover a few of the laws and bills here. You can read more by using the various links.
The most recent reports say that 28 percent of our fifty states
have already have passed parental rights protection laws. That’s incredible. Bills usually take forever to get through the system and signed into law. Those states include Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Is your state among them? If not, check out the existing legislation and let your representative know what you think is good and best.
All emphases in the following are mine. Colorado had passed something that said the rights of parents are fundamental, but (probably because of continuing pressure from parents) are upgrading that with additional protections. In part, this new bill “concerning the creation of a Parent’s Bill of Rights” says,
(1) The state, any political subdivision of the state, or any other governmental entity or institution shall not infringe upon the fundamental right of a parent to direct the upbringing, education, and health care of the parent’s minor child without demonstrating that the compelling governmental interest, as applied to the minor child involved, is of the highest order, is narrowly tailored, and cannot be accomplished in a less restrictive manner.
I encourage you to use the link I provided and read on beyond the quote above. The provisions continue for four more pages. I haven’t thoroughly digested it all, but it seems like it comprehensively covers problems parents and their children have encountered.
Florida has a bill in the works that states in part:
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Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.
Check out the bill Hawaii has pending. Its Section 1 contains the following statement:
The legislature further finds that current national discourse regarding social issues has created polarizing impacts on educators, school administrators, students, and their families. Notably, the debate on introducing critical race theory teachings in schools, which examines the law’s inherent role in facilitating racial inequalities in the United States. Critical race theory has become one of the focal points of conflict between parents and educators, and the controversial nature of its teachings highlights the importance of transparency between the school system and the right for parents to determine what is acceptable to be taught to their children.
Further on, it states:
2) A procedure for a parent to learn about his or her minor child’s course of study, including the source of any supplemental education materials.
(5) Procedures for a parent to learn about the nature and purpose of clubs and activities offered at his or her minor child’s school, including those that are extracurricular or part of the school curriculum.
I call your attention to 2) and remind you of the 1619 Project, CRT, transgender information, and the handouts from the Satanic Temple. Paragraph (5) should make you think of the Satanic Temple after-school club, transgender club, etc. And don’t forget about the dangers that may be lurking in the school library. Do library materials count as supplemental education materials?
That’s all I’ll cover for now. These excerpts should get your attention and encourage you to follow up in your state. You parents and your rights are finally being acknowledged. Don’t let the momentum diminish now that you have it started.