WASHINGTON – It was a fiery week on Capitol Hill in hearings debating parental rights in the classroom. Republicans say it’s about transparency and who’s in charge of raising children. Democrats call it censorship and say it pits parents against teachers.
The hearings come in response to concerned parents speaking out at school board meetings over sexualized or race-based teaching in public schools.
“Obviously some Democrats today want to silence parents who disagree with their woke agenda to indoctrinate American children with controversial and inappropriate curriculum,” said Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA).
The GOP’s “Parents Bill of Rights Act” requires schools to post curriculum and respect free speech at school board meetings.
***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to ensure you keep receiving the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***
In the hearings, Republicans focused on a Department of Justice memo that targeted parents for protesting at school board meetings.
The bill’s most divisive point is a requirement that schools list books in libraries.
Democrats accuse Republicans of wanting to censor history.
“This state-mandated censorship does not protect students, instead these legislative efforts will likely harm students, teachers and the quality of public education,” said Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY). “We do not shield children when we shield them from the truth, as uncomfortable as the truth may be at times.”
Sarah Parshall Perry with the Heritage Foundation tells CBN News the movement is parent-driven.
“The parents have found their voices,” Parshall said on CBN’s Faith Nation. “Covid has given us a new perspective on exactly what our students, what are children are learning at the grassroots level. And many of those concepts are not only divisive, we’re seeing books now included in school libraries that are outright pornographic and in violation of longstanding obscenity laws.”
The House votes Friday on the “Parents Bill of Rights Act.” If it passes, it still faces an uphill battle in the Senate.
The remainder of this article is available in its entirety at CBN