Parents Bill of Rights Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. MEUSER. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the esteemed gentlewoman from North Carolina for allotting me some time here today.

I rise in support, strong support, Mr. Chair, of H.R. 5, the Parents Bill of Rights Act.

As parents, we put trust in our local schools and teachers and expect that our children are receiving an appropriate education, and in most cases, they do.

We have all had great teachers that have positively impacted our lives, and our children have, and we are very grateful for that and we will remember them forever.

In recent years, for varying reasons, there have been well-known instances where the trust between schools and parents has been eroded, in fact, broken, and primarily those issues stem from parents being excluded or having their participation in the educational process removed, such as curriculum review being very limited.

Everyone agrees that such instances, whether they occur often or infrequently, should not happen, and when they do, they are unacceptable.

As a father, I know that to a mom and dad there is nothing more precious than their children, and being included in the education process should be a parent's right, especially as taxpayers. Any rational adult, whether parent or educator, knows what the reasonable level of involvement should be.

Parents should have the right to be heard and to know what their child is being taught. Parents should have the right to see the school budget. Parents should have the right to be alerted if there are instances of violence or problems in the child's schools. Parents are not asking too much. They are simply asking to be involved, which helps create a strong family and a better educational environment for all.

It is our responsibility as elected officials to honor their requests and guarantee they will be included in the education process and school activities. That is why this Republican majority has put forth the Parents Bill of Rights Act, and I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

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