Providing for Consideration of H.R. Further Extending Government Funding Act; and for Other Purposes
Floor Speech
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Mr. OWENS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose the previous question so that we can immediately consider H.R. 6056, the Parents Bill of Rights Act.
As a father of six children and a grandfather of 15, I know from experience that parents who are informed and engaged are always the best advocates for their own children.
I also grew up in a home with teachers. My dad was a college professor for 40 years, and my mom was a junior high school teacher.
Recent attempts to discredit the role of parents and to silence their genuine concerns should be very concerning to every American. There has never been a time more important than now to stand with and for America's parents.
I have heard directly from Utah's moms and dads. They don't want Washington bureaucrats and career politicians dictating the decisions that determine the education, development, health, and well-being of their children. They want and deserve a say.
Democrats' and the leftist teachers unions' efforts to nationalize education, mandate curriculum, and impose one-size-fits-all models from D.C., while ignoring the will of teachers, parents, and students, have been extremely harmful.
This last year, we have seen the academic and emotional needs of young learners totally ignored. Keeping our children out of the classroom went against the science. It also went against good old- fashioned common sense.
Here are some sobering facts. During the 2020 through 2021 school year, students fell behind an average of 5 months in math and 4 months in reading. Low-income and minority children fell an additional 1 to 2 months behind their White and wealthy peers.
Even before the pandemic in 2017, the United States Department of Education found that 75 percent of Black boys in the State of California failed to pass standard reading and writing tests. In 2019, only 15 percent of Baltimore eighth grade students were proficient in reading, and about 10 percent were proficient in math.
This is beyond politics and party lines. It is about the future of our great Nation. It is about the success of our children.
There is an urgent need to raise the bar of education in our country. We cannot do this by pushing parents out of the driver's seat and ignoring academic needs for our students. Our Parents Bill of Rights will address both concerns.
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