WASHINGTON — Today, the Kansas Senate passed SB 496, a bill to protect parents’ rights to review curriculum and school records for their children, parents’ rights to participate in school board meetings, and students’ rights to be protected from discrimination in classroom instruction.
Heritage Action, a conservative organization with two million grassroots activists nationwide, including thousands of Kansans, released a statement from Executive Director Jessica Anderson applauding the Kansas Senate on the passage of SB 496.
As bureaucrats at the federal, state, and local levels try to reduce the role of parents in their children’s education by hiding information from them or barring them from school board meetings, Kansas is fighting back. The Kansas Parents’ Bill of Rights rightly puts parents back in the driver’s seat, ensuring that they are able to easily access information about what their children are being taught and make their voices heard when they need to make reforms.
Parents and teachers alike want parents involved in school. Both groups know that school should be a partnership dedicated solely to the good of the children, and that transparency creates stronger schools. The only people who disagree are bureaucrats with something to hide.
Kansas is standing up for parents and teachers with the Kansas Parents’ Bill of Rights. Kansans thank the Senate for their leadership, and urge the House to quickly join them and pass this important legislation.
Background:
Last week, Heritage Action released a Myth vs. Fact sheet on the bill, dispelling the myths surrounding the Kansas Parents’ Bill of Rights.
A December 2021 poll of registered voters in Kansas who are parents and grandparents of school aged children found 88 percent believe a parent should have the primary say in their child’s education. This view crossed geographic and ideological lines – even 73 percent of self-professed liberals believe parents should have the ultimate say.
In a poll of teachers conducted by EdWeek Research Center in November 2021, a clear majority of teachers polled agreed that parents should be somewhat to very involved in selecting curriculum and materials in their districts. However, only 31 percent said parents were involved.
In August 2021, Heritage Action announced the launch of Save Our Schools, an initiative to support parents’ rights to fight for the values of their children in schools.