Mental Health Matters Act
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mrs. McCLAIN. Mr. Chair, my amendment to H.R. 7780 would establish that parents have the right to be informed of any mental health-related issues with their children. In other words, schools may not hide critical information from parents.
Before my colleagues say this isn't necessary or this isn't needed, just open social media. You will find examples of teachers and school personnel bragging about how they covertly discuss transgender issues with their students, regardless of their accordance with schools or State laws.
I think it is disappointing that it has come to this, that on the House floor, we have to make an affirmative case for parents' rights. Yet, here we are.
School officials and personnel are not the parents. School officials and personnel have no right to ignore a parent's decision on what they think is best for their child.
This amendment protects both parents and students. It would ensure that parents are never excluded from their children's health conversations and that teachers and administrators can't make these decisions unilaterally.
If you want to protect children, believe in families and support hardworking parents, then you must agree with us and support our motion to recommit.
Every mother and father in this Chamber should want to know what is happening with their children. Every one of us has the right to know what a person is telling our child.
If we adopt the motion to recommit, we will instruct the Committee on Education and Labor to consider my amendment, H.R. 7780, to protect parents' rights.
I include in the Record the text of the amendment.
Add at the end the following: TITLE VIII--PARENTAL RIGHTS SEC. 801. PARENTAL CONSENT AND NOTICE OF PARENTAL RIGHTS.
(a) Informed Parental Consent.--A covered grantee shall ensure that each parent of a child served by such grantee--
(1) receives the notice of parental rights described in subsection (b); and
(2) provides informed written consent before the grantee offers or provides any mental health or other social and emotional services to the parent's child.
(b) Notice of Parental Rights.--A covered grantee shall provide to each parent of a child served by the grantee written notice of any mental health or other social and emotional services that may be offered to the child by such grantee, including--
(1) mental health assessments;
(2) counseling for individual students or group sessions;
(3) any group or individual session related to the child's or other children's sexual orientation or gender identity;
(4) clubs or other after school activities related to mental health or other social and emotional learning;
(5) curriculum used to discuss social and emotional learning or other mental health needs;
(6) books made available to students for discussion of social and emotional or mental health needs;
(7) interventions utilized by staff to address students' mental health or other social and emotional needs; and
(8) any evaluations or data collection used to assess students' individual or school wide mental health or other social and emotional needs.
(c) Covered Grantee Defined.--In this section, the term ``covered grantee'' means any entity receiving funds under title I, II, III, or IV, including a State educational agency, local educational agency, or Head Start grantee.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mrs. McCLAIN. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to pass this amendment so we can provide the assurance to parents that they have the right to protect their children.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mrs. McCLAIN. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mrs. McCLAIN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source