WASHINGTON, D.C. – Independent Women’s Voice (IWV) applauds passage of H.R. 5, the Parents Bill of Rights Act, in the U.S. House of Representatives. This bill would require transparency and accountability in schools, encourage parental involvement, and establish parental rights. Strong support for parental rights in the U.S. House is a step in the right direction, and IWV urges the U.S. Senate to follow suit in order to protect America’s families and future.
The Parents Bill of Rights amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as well as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) to protect parental involvement in education.
Ginny Gentles, director of the Education Freedom Center (EFC) at Independent Women’s Forum (IWF) said: “The Parents Bill of Rights acknowledges the importance of parental involvement in their children’s education. State legislatures should introduce similar transparency and accountability laws and ensure parents can easily access curriculum, budget, discipline, and student record information.”
Nicole Solas, senior fellow at IWF’s Education Freedom Center, has been speaking out and telling her story about being sued by a teachers union for submitting public records requests. In response to the passage of this legislation, she said: “Parental involvement is the key to student success and the Parents Bill of Rights strengthens parental involvement by requiring schools to be transparent,” said Solas. “When parents can see and understand what their children are learning they can better understand how to help their children succeed in school. I don’t know how anyone can vote against the academic success of children.”
On March 1, when H.R. 5 was introduced by Representative Julia Letlow (R-LA), Independent Women’s Voice submitted a letter of support to Congress. In the letter, which can be read here, states the following:
“In some schools, transparency is non-existent, and parents are barred from accessing information about instructional materials or how their tax dollars are being spent. Concerningly, some schools have lowered their academic standards and eliminated vital programs without informing parents. The Parents Bill of Rights Act acknowledges parents’ fundamental right to make decisions for their children.”
Several members of Independent Women’s Network, the grassroots membership arm of Independent Women’s Forum and Independent Women’s Voice, attended Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s Parents Bill of Rights unveiling and spoke about how this legislation would impact education in their communities.
Learn more about H.R. 5, the Parents Bill of Rights Act here.
Watch IWF’s Education Freedom Center Director on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal talking about H.R. 5 here.