Parental Rights Over the Education and Care of Their Kids Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1224, I call up the bill (H.R. 2616) to require public elementary and middle schools that receive funds under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to obtain parental consent before changing a minor's gender markers, pronouns, or preferred name on any school form or sex-based accommodations, including locker rooms or bathrooms, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

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Mr. WALBERG. 2616.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2616, the Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act.

For years, concerned parents have felt ignored as education bureaucrats push radical agendas in schools without their knowledge or input.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when kitchen tables became classrooms, parents got a firsthand look at what was really being taught. What many saw raised serious concerns. Instead of focusing on the basics like math and reading, many teachers and schools were introducing controversial lessons on gender ideology and pronouns, all while student achievement plummeted and continues to this day.

In the years since then, those concerns have only grown. Many schools are engaged in systematic attempts to erode parental rights. Schools are facilitating gender transitions or encouraging students to change their names and pronouns without telling parents.

These are enormously consequential decisions that have lasting impacts on a child's well-being and development. Parents deserve to be part of those conversations.

One study from Defending Education found that at least 21,000 schools across the United States have policies that allow or encourage staff to hide a student's name change or gender identity. This lack of transparency risks confusion, undermines trust, and weakens the essential partnership between families and schools. It also places teachers in difficult positions, sometimes expecting them to withhold information from parents or be less than fully transparent.

These policies are incredibly harmful to children and families. In fact, we are now seeing a wealth of data to prove that children and teenagers who seek out drastic, life-altering medical procedures often struggle with mental health issues now and beyond. Instead of supporting kids, these secretive gender transitions, often encouraged by radical school officials, do more harm than good.

At the same time, many parents are asking a simple question: Why aren't schools more focused on helping students recover academically?

Test scores in key subjects remain stagnant or have declined, and students are still working to overcome pandemic-era learning loss.

Parents, teachers, and school leaders should be working together to support student success, not be at odds with one another.

That is why I am proud to lead H.R. 2616, the Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act, alongside my friend and colleague, the vice chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, Congressman Burgess Owens. This bill takes monumental strides to restore parental rights and educational sanity.

H.R. 2616 affirms the right of parents to be in charge of their children's upbringing and ensures schools remain partners in a child's education, instead of usurping the role and rights of parents altogether. The bill also establishes clear guardrails to ensure taxpayer dollars are used to support learning, not indoctrinate kids in radical ideology and agendas.

At its core, this bill is grounded in a simple principle, Mr. Speaker. That principle is that parents want what is best for their kids. Schools should be partners in that effort.

I believe Members on both sides of the aisle share the goal of helping students succeed. This legislation moves us in that direction by strengthening trust, improving transparency, and keeping the focus where it belongs: on students' education.

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Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I certainly would agree that this bill will promote good mental health and security and probably academic success in the process.

Mr. HARRIS of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Walberg for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act led by Chairman Walberg and Vice Chairman Owens.

For far too long, our education system has prioritized activism over fundamentals. Parents in America want their children to learn how to read, write, solve math problems, and reach their God-given potential. Unfortunately, schools across the country have abandoned biological realities in favor of curriculum that is infused with gender ideology, sexual education, and transgenderism.

Mr. Speaker, this is not education; this is indoctrination.

What is equally concerning is the effort schools have put into leaving parents out of important discussions regarding their children. Parents have the right to know what their kids are being taught and what is happening to their children in schools.

That is why I am honored to stand against the indoctrination of our kids and for parents' rights. I strongly urge my colleagues to do the same by joining me in supporting this bill.

Mr. Speaker, at the end of the day, this issue is about parents, their children, and the protection of both.

This bill also protects teachers. It gives them the opportunity to use the resources already available to them to protect students, but not do that at the expense of parental rights.

Every parent in this country wants the same basic thing: to know what is happening in their child's life and to be able to guide them through it. That is not political. It shouldn't be. That is just being a parent.

Too many families today--and it is the majority of them--feel like they are being cut out of decisions that matter: decisions that affect their child's identity, their well-being, and their future. These are life-changing decisions that are being allowed and encouraged that are destructive. That is not how our schools are supposed to work.

Schools should be partners with parents, not replacements for them. Trust between families and educators is essential. That trust starts with honesty and transparency.

The Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act is just what it says. It is about restoring that trust. It is about making sure parents are informed, respected, and involved. It is making sure kids are protected.

At a time when students are still working to recover from significant learning loss, our focus should be clear: strong academics, honest communication, and helping every child succeed.

That is what this legislation does, Mr. Speaker. It puts parents back where they belong: at the center of their child's life and education. In fact, it mandates and strongly encourages parents to be back there with their kids. That is a good thing.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 2616, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

The yeas and nays were ordered.

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