WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives passed H.R. 5, the Parents Bill of Rights Act. This legislation underscores parents’ rights to know what’s happening in their child’s school and maintain the right to make decisions about their child’s education. Rep. Jim Banks cosponsored this legislation this Congress and was the original cosponsor of this legislation in the 117th Congress.
Said Congressman Banks, “As a father of three young girls, I believe that parents know what is best for their children. When parents send their children to school, they should not be worried that their child is being taught a radical ideology or coached on gender transition behind their back. Protecting our children’s data, increasing curriculum transparency, and defending the rights of parents to be involved in their child’s life should not be political, but sadly, every single one of my Democrat colleagues voted against this bill. I am proud to have cosponsored this important legislation and will always fight for the rights of parents in Northeast Indiana.”
Background:
The Parents Bill of Rights Act amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). ESEA is the primary source of federal aid for elementary and secondary education .H.R. 5 works by tying federal funding for states and public school systems to make key changes including:
· Transparency
- Requires each school district to make the curriculum available online.
- Require schools to notify parents when an individual or organization will be speaking to students at school and what they’re going to talk about.
- Requires schools to disclose whether a teacher or other staff coached a child to transition genders.
· Accountability
- Requires that schools notify parents when children are not proficient in reading at end of third grade.
- Requires schools to give parents the opportunity to address the school board on relevant issues impacting the education of children.
- Requires schools to notify parents about any plans to eliminate gifted and talented programs in their child’s school.
· Privacy
- Prohibits the sale of student data for commercial purposes.
- Prohibits schools from acting as parents in deciding whether a child gets vaccinated.
- Clarifies that schools must notify parents prior to using certain educational technologies and a chance to object to the use of those technologies.
