Congressman Tim Walberg sponsored the parental rights bill which recently passed the house. Courtesy | Twitter
A bill promoting educational transparency, sponsored by Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., passed the U.S. House of Representatives as a part of the Parental Bill of Rights March 24.
The PROTECT Kids Act will require schools that receive Department of Education funding to gain parental consent before changing a child’s pronouns, gender markers, or preferred name on a school form, according to a press release from Walberg’s office.
The bill also seeks to give parents access to school budgets and information about school violence, to protect childrens’ privacy. It’s part of the Parent’s Bill of Rights, a larger legislative package that seeks to ensure parents are provided with more information about their children’s education.
“My colleagues and I are committed to ensuring that parents always have a seat at the table when it comes to their child’s upbringing and education,” Walberg said in the release. “Today, we kept a key promise made in the Commitment to America by passing the Parents Bill of Rights.”
The bill, Walberg said in the release, would protect parental rights by ensuring schools don’t hide information, especially about gender transitions, from parents.
The online schooling brought on by the pandemic exacerbated long-standing educational issues for many conservative parents, Walberg said to The Collegian.
“One silver lining was the transparency it brought, allowing parents unparalleled access to what exactly is happening in their child’s classroom,” Walberg said. “Across the country, we’ve seen reports of schools attempting to conceal information on children from their own parents.”
According to Walberg, this encouraged parents to become more active in their childrens’ education.
“In other cases, parents witnessed concerning content or behavior, leading to an effort to increase parental involvement,” Walberg said. “Stemming from these concerns and effort, House Republicans promised to increase transparency and help rebuild the relationship between schools and parents.”
Five House Republicans joined Democrats in voting against the bill: Andy Biggs of Arizona, Ken Buck of Colorado, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Mike Lawler of New York, and Matt Rosendale of Montana.
In an opinion piece for The Washington Times, Buck outlined some criticisms of the Parental Bill of Rights Act.
“While seemingly reinforcing parents’ rights, it undermines the critical principle for conservatives: federalism, the bedrock of our liberty,” Buck said “The Constitution provides a limited list of federal powers. As conservatives have rightly pointed out for decades, education is not on that list.”
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C, has introduced similar legislation in the Senate.
“Polling suggests an overwhelming number of Americans support efforts like the PROTECT Kids Act,” Walberg said. “So it is my hope that the Senate listens to the voice of the people and allows a vote on the legislation.”
