Representative Harriet Hageman, a Republican from Wyoming, introduced the "Parental Rights Relief Act" this week, a new piece of legislation designed to grant parents the ability to sue schools in civil court if they believe their rights to access student records or curriculum materials have been violated.
The bill seeks to enforce existing federal protections by creating a "private right of action" for families. Currently, two major laws, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), technically guarantee parents access to education records and the right to review instructional materials.
Parental Rights Relief Act
However, Hageman argues that schools often ignore these mandates without consequence. Under the new proposal, parents would no longer have to wait for federal agencies to act. Instead, they could take legal action directly against school districts that withhold information or deny requests to opt children out of specific lessons, according to Fox News.
Hageman stated that the legislation is a necessary response to school districts that are "blatantly, intentionally, and aggressively" blocking parental oversight. She cited concerns that the U.S. Department of Education has been too slow to investigate complaints, effectively allowing schools to bypass the law. "All my bill is trying to do is enforce one aspect of federal law that I believe that the Department of Education has really attempted to avoid," Hageman said.
The push for the bill comes amid growing national debate over how much control parents should have regarding sensitive topics in the classroom, AOL News reported. Supporters of the legislation point to recent controversies, such as schools in Wisconsin and Connecticut allegedly keeping gender identity transitions secret from parents or refusing to share details about social-emotional learning surveys.
The Parental Rights Relief Act would specifically target these issues, ensuring that parents can see surveys, questionnaires, and medical evaluations administered to their children.
Giving Parents More Power
In addition to allowing lawsuits, the bill proposes the creation of a special review board. This board would be required to investigate and resolve complaints within a tight 90-day window. This provision aims to prevent cases from languishing in bureaucratic limbo, a common frustration for parents who feel their concerns are ignored by school administrators.
While the bill has rallied support from parental rights organizations, it faces likely opposition from teachers' unions and Democratic lawmakers, who have previously argued that similar measures can lead to censorship or endanger vulnerable students, as per Yahoo News.
As of the bill's introduction, major education unions had not yet issued a formal response. The legislation marks the latest effort by GOP lawmakers to make education transparency a central policy issue heading into the next election cycle.
