U.S. House Passes Republican-Backed “Parents Bill of Rights Act”

metroweekly.com:

injected itself into culture-war battles over curriculum content, student privacy policies, special accommodations for LGBTQ students, and what books or materials are accessible in school libraries.The House approved the bill, sponsored by U.S.

Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.) on a largely party-line vote, 213-208, with five Republicans voting against the bill. The legislation would require public school districts to publicly post information about curricula for students, including providing a list of books and reading materials available in libraries — even if they are not used in actual classroom instruction.

Teachers would be required to hold two in-person meetings with parents each year, and parents would be allowed to interrupt or publicly comment at school board meetings on district-approved policies, with school boards encouraged to “consider community feedback” in their decision-making.

The bill would also require parents to have the right to see school budget, including revenues and expenditures, and be informed of any violent activity on school grounds or at school-sponsored events, while still protecting the privacy of the students involved in the incident.Schools would be prohibited from sharing student data with tech companies, would be required to inform parents of changes to school privacy policies, and would have to obtain parental consent before performing any medical exams or mental health screenings, as well as before students complete behavioral surveys to which parents might object.Democrats have largely opposed the bill, arguing that Republicans are simply pushing divisive social agendas and are instead imposing new reporting requirements and unfunded mandates on schools that will leave administrators and.