Congresswoman Letlow spearheads a bill of rights act for parents

Congresswoman Julia Letlow (LA-05) today announced her plans to introduce the Parents Bill of Rights Act with a group of Republican colleagues. This legislation will put practices in place that facilitate meaningful dialog between a family and their child’s school, and lead to more input throughout the learning process. “As a mom of two and a former educator, I firmly believe that the relationship between parents and schools should be collaborative, not adversarial,” Letlow said. “Education is not a job parents or schools can do by themselves, it requires us to work together. This bill contains common-sense ideas, and it also fully opens the door for those partnerships.” The Parents Bill of Rights is built on five core principles that would apply to all schools nationwide that receive federal funding.

1. Parents have the right to review their school’s curriculum, reading materials, and state academic standards.

2. Parents have the right to lawfully engage with their local school board and educators.

3. Parents have the right to see a school’s budget and spending, including detailed information about revenues and expenditures.

4. Parents have the right to protect their child’s privacy.

5. Parents have the right to keep their child safe and be updated on any violent activity at school.

Letlow continued: “Excluding parents from education will never work because it ignores the simple truth that these are our children, not the government’s.” The legislation also contains numerous transparency and accountability provisions designed to increase parent involvement in schools. For a summary of the legislation from the House Committee on Education and Labor, click HERE. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA-23), House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (NY-21), House Education and Labor Committee Ranking Member Virginia Foxx (NC-05), Republican Study Committee Chair Jim Banks (IN-03), Congressman Burgess Owens (UT-04), Congressman Garret Graves (LA-06), Congressman Clay Higgins (LA-03) and other Republican members will join Letlow in formally introducing this bill in the House of Representatives later this week.