Sen. Hawley to Introduce 'Parents' Bill of Rights' to Protect Role in Education

Details emerged Tuesday of Sen. Josh Hawley’s bill defending parents' rights in their children's education.

"Parents' Bill of Rights is needed to combat left's indoctrination of students," Hawley, R-Mo., tweeted Monday with a link to his opinion column posted earlier in the day on Fox News.

Details of that Bill of Rights surfaced early Tuesday, less than two weeks after Hawley's office released a statement saying a bill would be introduced to protect the right of parents to know what their children are being taught, who is teaching them, and which organizations are receiving school contracts.

Fox News obtained a one-page outline detailing the Parents' Bill of Rights Act, which will stipulate the following eight rights:

• The right to know what their minor child is being taught in school, including, but not limited to, curricula, books, and other instructional materials.
• The right to information on who is teaching their minor child, including guest lecturers and outside presenters.
• The right to information on individuals and organizations receiving school contracts and funding.
• The right to visit the school and check in on their minor child during school hours.
• The right to all school records, medical or otherwise, concerning their minor child.
• The right to information about the collection and transmission of their minor child’s data.
• The right to have sufficient accountability and transparency regarding school boards.
• The right to know about situations affecting their minor child’s safety in school.

"All across the country, American parents have been mocked, bullied, and belittled by bureaucrats and school board members who think they know better," the document noted, according to Fox News. "When it comes to education, parental engagement is not the problem. It’s the solution."

The document referenced a quote by former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who said, "I don't think parents should be telling schools what they should teach."

It also mentioned the Department of Justice memo urging the FBI and U.S. attorneys to "investigate and prosecute" protests at public school board meetings and schools. The infamous letter compared concerned parents to domestic terrorists.

"America has long recognized the right of parents to direct their children’s education but we are now seeing a concerted effort by the left to shut parents out," Hawley said in the draft statement, Fox News reported.

"Whether it’s Joe Biden’s Justice Department attempting to classify parents as 'domestic terrorists' or activists funded by dark money who seek to quietly introduce critical race theory into school curricula, education has taken a back seat to radical politics in many schools and parents are taking notice."

He added, "It's time to give control back to parents, not woke bureaucrats, and empower them to start a new era of openness in education."

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