Ajit Karn
Washington: Friday, the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives passed a bill advocating for greater parental choice in schools, pursuing a divisive “culture war” issue that they hope will be an election victor.
The “Parents Bill of Rights” was approved largely along party lines, with the exception of five Republicans who joined Democrats in opposing a measure labeled the “Politics over Parents Act”
“Education is the great equalizer in the United States,” said Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Every child deserves an excellent education, and we know that when parents are empowered, their children will be successful.
The measure appears doomed to fail in the Senate, which is controlled by the Democrats, but Republicans will use their ballots to campaign on an issue that has become central to the 2024 presidential election.
Under the law, public institutions would be required to publish their curricula. They would be required to send parents an inventory of their library books and make certain that instructors are available for face-to-face discussions.
The law requires schools to disclose information regarding incidents of violence and gives parents a voice in the drafting of student privacy policies.
Education has become a political flashpoint in the United States, with protestors overwhelming school board meetings to rail against the teaching of gender, sexuality, and race to their children.
Republicans have erroneously accused Democrats of using the FBI and local law enforcement to criminalize debate over what children should be taught.
The House approved Republican amendments asserting that parents have the right to know if their child’s school permits transgender students to use restrooms and participate in athletics teams that do not correspond to their biological sex.
The New York-based free speech organization PEN America has tallied 1,648 banned books in US schools and libraries for the 2021-22 school year.
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“The school control bill proposed by House Republicans is Orwellian to the core, and it will never see the light of day in the Senate,” said Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
If enacted, schools across the nation would be required to comply with an array of federal regulations that strip parents and school districts of their authority.
