Parents Bill of Rights Act
Floor Speech
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Ms. FOXX. 5.
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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chair, I rise today to recognize the profound importance of H.R. 5, the Parents Bill of Rights Act, and what it means for families across the country.
Over the past several years, parents witnessed the consequences of lessons taught in classrooms firsthand. Math scores declined by the largest margin ever, and reading scores plummeted to the lowest levels in over three decades. These results are devastating.
Teachers' unions and education bureaucrats worked to push progressive politics in classrooms while keeping parents in the dark. The Parents Bill of Rights Act aims to end that and shine a light on what is happening in schools. This bill will reaffirm a parent's right to review course curriculum, meet with the child's teacher, and be heard at school board meetings without fear of reprisal.
My colleagues on the other side of the aisle seem convinced Republicans are using this bill to punish teachers or push an extreme rightwing agenda. This is false.
Our education system is spiraling out of control as parents are pushed further outside the classroom. This bill will restore the role of parents in schools and provide new mechanisms to promote parent- teacher partnerships.
When parents are involved in their child's education, students thrive. That is the guiding principle of this bill. With the Parents Bill of Rights Act, Republicans will help parents steer the education of their children back onto the correct path where they can learn the skills they need for a lifetime of success.
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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Louisiana (Ms. Letlow).
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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bean), chair of the Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee.
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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson), the chair of the Agriculture Committee.
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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg).
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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Miller), who is the vice chair of the Education and Workforce Committee.
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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mills).
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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman).
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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chair, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Moran).
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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chairman, here is the truth about this bill. This bill will not ban any books. I repeat: This bill will not ban any books.
What is dangerous right now is when people misrepresent what is in legislation before us.
Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Owens), my distinguished colleague, the chair of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development.
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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn).
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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chair, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lawler) for purposes of a colloquy.
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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman from New York for his questions.
Mr. Chair, I can confirm that the bill does not require a teacher to disclose any of the information that the gentleman described.
The bill does not address a student's identity or statements but is solely focused on notifying parents about actions taken by school personnel to act on a gender transition, such as changing pronouns or switching locker rooms.
I would add, despite the claims from my friends on the other side of the aisle, even The New York Times acknowledged that this is not a partisan issue, writing in January that, ``Parents of all political persuasions have found themselves unsettled by what schools know and don't reveal.''
Our bill enshrines commonsense transparency for parents of children to reflect these concerns but it does not force any teacher to reveal private conversations or any information about sexual orientation.
The legislation is also clear that education is largely the responsibility of the States and any State or local school district would work with the Department to ensure their compliance with these provisions without violating student privacy. I yield to the gentleman.
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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Allen).
Mr. Chair, there is no question that over the past several years, we have seen parents being denied the right to make decisions about their children's education. I don't quite understand the argument from the other side.
The reason I stand before this body today is not because I happen to be in Washington; it is because I am representing parents in my district who want to know what their children are being taught and what they are required to read.
In fact, parents across this country, certain groups, have gone so far as to label the parents ``domestic terrorists'' just because they wanted a say in their children's education. That is what we are talking about today is giving control back to the parents of our children.
This is not the way our education system was created, and it is not the way it is supposed to work. Allowing families to have a say in their children's education should not be a controversial subject. I don't get it.
Parents have a right to know what is being taught to their children, to give consent for medical evaluations, and to be heard. My goodness, it is in the top 10: Honor thy father and thy mother.
Unfortunately, we have seen Washington Democrats and outside groups push to radically reshape our education system by injecting divisive concepts and curriculum into our schools and classrooms regardless of whether families approve.
House Republicans are working to fulfill our commitment to America by building a future that is built on freedom, for crying out loud, a future where parents' rights are protected and families are given a seat at the table.
I am calling on all my colleagues to join us in support of H.R. 5, the Parents Bill of Rights Act.
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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Oregon (Mrs. Chavez-DeRemer).
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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chair, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Guest).
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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Meuser).
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Chair, it has been a pleasure to work on the Parents Bill of Rights Act. While working on this bill, I have heard from parents' groups who offered their support. I would like to mention what just a few of them said.
The Independent Women's Voice wrote: ``The Parents Bill of Rights Act acknowledges parents' fundamental right to make decisions for their children.''
``Parents do not simply turn children over to government schools with the assumption that the school will make every decision without parental input. As parents, we have a right to direct the upbringing, care, and education of our children.''
The Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee said: ``Americans have been awakened to the troubling fact that public schools are failing our children. The lack of educational standards combined with the radical ideologies being taught in the classroom have led more and more parents to question the public education system. . . . This act reasserts the proper role of parents in their children's education.''
Finally, Parents Defending Education Action said: ``There is an intentional and universal lack of transparency and accountability among school districts. Concerning incidents are major and widespread. . . . The Parents Bill of Rights Act, introduced by Congresswoman Julia Letlow, addresses the primary issues parents have vocalized over the last 2 years: academics, free speech, safety, fairness, and transparency. We hope Congress will be receptive to the Parents Bill of Rights Act and vindicate parents who have spoken up and yearn for such legislation.''
After hearing statements like this, it should be clear that this bill gives parents what they want. Polling shows that overwhelming majorities of parents want more control over what their children are taught. According to survey results, 72 percent of Americans support curriculum transparency. Additionally, 67 percent believe that parents should be able to opt their children out of curriculum they believe is inappropriate or harmful. Nearly 8 in 10 parents polled nationally want to have influence over what is taught in K-12 classrooms.
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Chair, I yield myself 15 seconds.
Madam Chair, I am going to say again and again and again and again, this bill does not do anything to ban books.
My understanding is that the book ``To Kill a Mockingbird'' was banned by a liberal school board in California, so don't blame us for what liberals do.
Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Williams).
Mr. WILLIAMS of New York. Madam Chair, let's lay out the fundamental rights of parents. That is what we are discussing here today.
Number one, every parent should be given a choice and a voice on how their child receives an education.
Number two, school curriculum should not be used to politically indoctrinate our children.
Number three, parents deserve options. They deserve a choice on how their child receives an education.
In my family, my wife and I made a personal decision to homeschool our children. Every parent should be free to make that choice, not just the wealthy ones.
What is the parents bill of rights? What are the pillars of this bill?
Parents deserve the right to know what is being taught in schools and to see the reading material. It is very simple.
Parents deserve to be heard.
Parents deserve the right to see where the taxpayer dollars are going, how they are spent, and how they are being used. It is a fundamental principle of good governance.
Parents have the right to protect their children, to protect their children's privacy.
Parents absolutely should be updated and informed in the instances of violence that seem to be increasing in our schools, many of which go unreported.
I am very honored to be a member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and to support this bill, to support parents, and to support parents' rights, particularly that our children get the best possible education. This is a significant step forward.
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Kiley), a member of the committee.
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Chair, I yield the gentleman from California an additional 30 seconds.
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Chair, I will respond to a comment that my colleague on the other side of the aisle mentioned a few minutes ago.
I point out that the manager's amendment that we will debate clarifies the intent of the language the ranking member was reading.
The manager's amendment makes it clear the school district's responsibility is to the parents' child, not any child.
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Chair, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Chair, we have heard a lot about what this bill is going to do in the future, and it is all bad from the other side.
What has been particularly disturbing to me to hear today are comments that truly misrepresent what is in the legislation before us. That scares the public, and that is not what we should be about.
This bill is not going to cause people to be mean to schoolchildren. It does not attempt to hurt anyone. It is not going to ban books.
Our colleagues say, on one hand that a list of all the books is already available out there to parents, and then they say, this bill is going to force those lists to be put out and that will cause the banning of books.
We have heard that books have been banned. In the Rules Committee last night, books that they said had been banned inappropriately--those assertations were refuted.
It has been truly troubling, in our committee markup in the Rules Committee last night and today, to hear the terrible misrepresentations about this bill.
As my colleagues and I have said, this Parents Bill of Rights Act is to help parents be more involved with their children's education, as they should be.
I am urging my colleagues to support H.R. 5, the Parents Bill of Rights Act, and by doing so we will send a strong message that parents are an integral part of their child's education and must be respected.
For too long, parents have been kept at a distance in schools and classrooms. Teachers' unions and education bureaucrats made significant efforts to conceal what was truly being taught in classrooms. What came out of COVID was parents saw what was being taught and they didn't like it.
For years, students were falling behind in critical subject areas such as mathematics and reading, but prolonged school closures hastened the deterioration of learning.
Now, the Parents Bill of Rights Act will foster robust parent/teacher partnerships and close the gap between families and educators. That is what this bill is about--setting up true partnerships between families and educators.
We respect educators. We want to support what they are doing in the classroom. But parents want to know what is being taught in the classroom. We want transparency and we want accountability.
To recover lost learning and promote a safe learning environment, parents must be involved in the classroom. Parents are the best advocates for the best interests of their child, and teachers are an important part of enhancing the well-being of students.
I hope our colleagues will not continue to misrepresent what is in this bill but will work with us for the benefit of America's children. That is what we are about on our side of the aisle, not to hurt, not to be mean, but to support.
Madam Chair, I encourage my colleagues across the aisle to do what is best for students, support this important bill.
Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Chair, I rise in support of my amendment.
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Chair, it has been a pleasure to support the Parents Bill of Rights Act. I am especially proud of the work that our committee has put into crafting this bill.
Our committee worked late into the night and early morning and considered dozens of amendments. Nearly 20 were adopted to make the bill even better. I am proud that we have reported to the floor a commonsense bill that has broad support and aligns with what the vast majority of Americans want.
The amendments we passed during the committee markup accomplished the same goal we had when writing the bill: protecting parents' rights and making sure that schools can never cut parents out of their children's education decisions.
This manager's amendment makes a few minor technical changes to make sure that the amendments we passed during the committee markup will be implemented correctly and that the rights promised are fulfilled.
In addition, the manager's amendment adds language to the First Amendment's sense of Congress included in the underlying bill. The new language affirms the fundamental rights of parents to direct the education of their children and encourages courts to use the strict scrutiny standard in evaluating cases related to parental rights.
Schools should always be accountable to parents, and the parents should always know what their children are being taught and what their children are being exposed to. The Parents Bill of Rights Act protects those fundamental rights.
Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of both this amendment and the underlying bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Chair, the gentleman from Virginia I think will remember that I believe it was in the Loudoun County Public Schools where the father of a child who had been sexually molested in a bathroom by a young boy dressed as a girl who then was transferred to another school, and the parents were never notified that this had happened, when the father stood up at the school board meeting to bring this issue up, he was not allowed to speak. Furthermore, he was arrested. He was wrestled to the ground and arrested.
So, again, we hear from our colleagues two different scenarios: one, well, parents already have the right to address their school boards. Yes. That is in our First Amendment. We have the right to petition our elected officials for grievances. However, that is not happening as we have seen in certain places.
Whether or not there is a time limit, I would hope that people would be reasonable about that, but we are not dictating that. That will be dealt with. As the gentleman says, those school board members in most cases are elected, and it will be up to them to deal with the public in that respect. If they don't do it correctly, then my assumption is that there will be consequences.
Madam Chair, the manager's amendment, again, strengthens the underlying bill, I urge its adoption, and I also urge passage of H.R. 5.
With this legislation we have an opportunity to make a stand for the rights of parents. I hope all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will vote with what they say they believe, which is that parents have rights and that we want to have the best education for children.
Madam Chair, join us in this effort, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment.
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Chair, while I appreciate the substitute put forward by the Congresswoman, the Democrat proposal is wholly inadequate and will do little to solve the problems that parents face.
Instead, the Democrats' amendment resorts to a tired old Democrat strategy: spend more money, hire more people, and hope for the best.
Madam Chair, parents need more than that. They don't need massive new amounts of taxpayer spending at the Federal level controlled by bureaucrats when our country is already deeply in debt, nor do parents need schools to hire massive numbers of new administrators.
What parents need is for their rights to be protected. The Democrats' substitute does nothing to ensure that parents are the ultimate decisionmakers in their child's education.
Of course, that shouldn't be a surprise. There has been a push to silence parents around the country. Powerful teachers unions, several school boards, Democrat politicians, and the Biden Justice Department have all voiced opposition to the rights of parents to have a say in their child's education.
This kind of rhetoric and political posturing has real-world consequences for parents. For example, in 2021, a Rhode Island mother of two, Nicole Solas, talked to an elementary school principal in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, about what was being taught in schools. After persistent stonewalling, the school district directed her to file a public records request. She did, and the local teachers union filed a lawsuit against her.
This kind of treatment is outrageous. Ms. Solas was subjected to endless stonewalling, public humiliation, and an interminable and costly legal battle. No parent should have to go through that.
The Democrat substitute would do nothing to ensure that stories like this never happen again, but the Parents Bill of Rights Act would. Our bill will ensure that parents can never be sued for wanting to know their child's curriculum.
Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona recently published an op-ed about the Democrat vision for parent empowerment. In his vision, parents should be satisfied when the Federal Government spends taxpayer dollars on top-down solutions. By contrast, Republicans want an authentic give-and-take between parents and the education system about what students learn, how they are taught, and how they should be protected.
That is why I am proud to stand behind our bill.
Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote against the Democrat substitute and in favor of the Parents Bill of Rights Act.
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Chair, I want to say again that the approach our colleagues want to take is to spend more money.
Ms. Solas, who I mentioned earlier; Mr. Smith, who was mentioned earlier; and others, they certainly did not have the right to peacefully speak to their school boards and get responses, so that is not going to happen under the Democrats' amendment.
We also are not mean, and again, we do not ban books. We do not condone the banning of books.
We think, again, that the substitute presents the perfect picture of Republicans' and Democrats' approaches to parent engagement. Democrats believe protecting parents' rights means spending more taxpayer dollars to impose a top-down vision. Republicans believe in giving parents real power to secure the best education possible for their children.
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Chair, I want to say again that our bill is meant to give parents their God-given rights to be involved with their children's education and to seek the best education possible.
We do not want anyone to be treated unfairly. We want everyone to be treated fairly. We do not ban books.
I urge the public to read this bill. It is fairly short, about 30 pages, to make sure where the truth lies in terms of this piece of legislation.
Madam Chair, I reject the amendment that has been offered in the nature of a substitute. I urge a ``no'' vote on the amendment and a ``yes'' vote on H.R. 5.
Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
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Ms. FOXX. Madam Chair, I move that the Committee do now rise.
The motion was agreed to.
Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Mrs. Fischbach) having assumed the chair, Ms. Greene of Georgia, Acting Chair of the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union, reported that that Committee, having had under consideration the bill (H.R. 5) to ensure the rights of parents are honored and protected in the Nation's public schools, had come to no resolution thereon.
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