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U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthyKevin Dietsch/Getty Images

WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) — Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a measure to enshrine parental rights in education into federal law. 

H.R.5, also known as the Parents’ Bill of Rights Act, passed the House on Friday with 213 votes of approval and 208 opposing votes, mostly along party lines. The legislation now goes to the Democrat-controlled Senate for another vote. 

“Parents have a First Amendment right to express their opinions on decisions made by State and local education leaders,” the bill declares. “It is the sense of Congress that the First Amendment guarantees parents and other stakeholders the right to assemble and express their opinions on decisions affecting their children and communities, and that educators and policymakers should welcome and encourage that engagement and consider that feedback when making decisions.” 

The rights listed in the bill include parents’ rights to “review, and make copies of, at no cost, the curriculum of their child’s school,” “to meet with each teacher of their child not less than twice during each school year,” and “to review the budget, including all revenues and expenditures, of their child’s school.” 

Additional provisions include a right to access “a list of the books and other reading materials available in the library of their child’s school,” “inspect such books or other reading materials,” “address the school board of the local educational agency,” “information about violent activity in their child’s school,” and “review any professional development materials.”

Notably, the bill would grant parents “the right to know if a school employee or contractor acts to change a minor child’s gender markers, pronouns, or preferred name,” “allow a child to change the child’s sex-based accommodations, including locker rooms or bathrooms,” and whether school staff “acts to treat, advise, or address” issues such as bullying, mental health, suicidality, drug use, eating disorders, and possession of a weapon. 

Parents must also be given “notice that includes the name of the speaker and the name of the organization or other entity being represented by the speaker” any time students are to hear from a guest speaker. 

Two amendments proposed by Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado — which were favored unanimously and included in the House-approved bill — added requirements for schools to notify parents if males were allowed to compete against females in athletics as well as if any male was permitted to use a female bathroom. 

The Parents’ Bill of Rights Act was originally introduced in 2021, but never received a vote, as Democrats controlled the House at the time. On March 1, 2023, Rep. Julia Letlow of Louisiana reintroduced the bill, which was better received by the now Republican-led chamber.  

“Republicans put out a commitment to America, and in our commitment to America, we said we were going to have a Parents’ Bill of Rights,” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said after the chamber approved the legislation. “We’re keeping our commitment.” 

“Today was a win for every mother, every father, but most importantly, for every student in America. You have a Parents’ Bill of Rights now, but unfortunately, Democrats are too extreme to believe that parents should have a say in their kids’ education.” 

Congresswoman Letlow praised House Republicans for how they “fought to pass this critical legislation because we want to ensure that parents’ voices will always be heard when it comes to their child’s education.” 

“We have seen public schools promote extremely divisive content like critical race theory, radical gender ideology, and even drag shows to impressionable young children. Speaking as a mother of four boys, enough is enough,” Boebert said. “I send my boys to school to receive an education, not indoctrination. Parents have a right to know what’s happening at their child’s school, and my amendments will ensure just that.” 

The federal bill comes two years after Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee released internal documents showing that the Biden administration was using counterterrorism tactics to respond to an increase in parental concern over issues taking place within public schools across the nation. Under the Biden administration, federal government has also consistently supported the LGBT agenda, which is notorious for encouraging kids to keep secrets about their struggles from their parents. 

READ: Medical professionals are being trained to help kids keep ‘gender identity’ secrets from parents

In July 2022, Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill went into effect, restricting gender and sexuality education in public schools and allowing parents to sue school districts and teachers for failure to comply with the guidelines. Although a landmark law and example for states seeking to secure parental rights, the legislation was publicly condemned by the Biden White House.  

RELATED

Public school indoctrination is out of control. The Parents Bill of Rights would start fixing that 

House committee: ‘No legitimate basis’ for DOJ memo targeting conservative parents 

DeSantis admin moves to expand LGBT ideology ban to include all K-12 grades 

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