Republicans in Congress Introduce Parents' Bill of Rights Act

On November 16, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) introduced the Parents' Bill of Rights Act which, according to his statement, would: prohibit nondisclosure agreements concerning curriculum; let parents make copies of classroom material; require schools to have parents opt their children into field trips, assemblies, and other extracurricular activities; and in general require more transparency from school boards and educators concerning things like student records and safety.

The bill would implement cuts in federal funding for districts that repeatedly violate the requirements and allow parents to take legal action against the districts. It is important to note that many aspects of the bill, like school board meetings and financial contracts between districts and external groups, are already subject to existing law that govern open meetings and public records.

On November 17, Republicans on the House Education and Labor Committee introduced a House version of the bill which goes further and requires schools to publicly post curriculum and provide a list of all reading materials available in the school library to parents. Additionally, it requires schools to hold at least two parent/teacher conferences a year with each teacher and get parental consent for any medical examinations or screenings (with the exemption of hearing, vision and scoliosis screenings).

The legislation is not likely to gain traction in Congress but we expect to see similar versions of this bill introduced in state legislatures as the debate over curriculum continues and intensifies.