Parental Rights Over the Education and Care of Their Kids Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I spent 24 years as an educator, as a classroom teacher, and as an adviser to my school's Gay-Straight Alliance.

During that time, I knew children who suffered physical violence at the hands of family members who found out that they were gay. I knew kids who were withdrawn from school because staff had informed their parents of their perceived sexual identity.

The story of those students is exactly what is at stake in this bill. Those of us who have taught LGBTQI+ children or who have been LGBTQI+ children ourselves know the sad reality that not all children come from homes that accept their differences.

This bill puts educators in an impossible position. Teachers would be legally required to out transgender children even if they knew that doing so would put the child at risk of physical harm or even being kicked out of their home.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from the American Federation of Teachers and a letter from the National Education Association opposing this bill. AFT, Education Healthcare Public Services, April 29, 2026. House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Representative: On behalf of the 1.8 million members of the AFT, I write in opposition to H.R. 2616, the misnamed Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act. Teachers teach children how to think, not what to think, and students and parents need less culture wars and more support.

At a time when our nation's public schools are facing real challenges and opportunities, educators desperately want to partner with this administration and Congress on an agenda that meets the needs of students, parents and school staff. Instead of prioritizing politically charged issues that divide communities, Congress should work on initiatives that will actually improve the lives of Americans.

For example, in the wake of the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting, where White House officials felt the terror that is all too familiar to our educators and students, now is the time to address the gun violence epidemic. Why not bring commonsense gun safety legislation to the floor?

Congress should listen more closely to all stakeholders and take steps to enhance the capacity of schools and educators to fulfill their responsibilities and help students and their families. Why not bring bills to the floor that invest in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and other nutrition assistance to help keep families fed and kids focused? Why not introduce legislation that makes healthcare more affordable and accessible? Why not bring to the floor bills that create guardrails for artificial intelligence and safety measures with parent consent? Why not offer a tax cut for working Americans to help make life more affordable amid the rising gas and grocery costs? Why not vote on a bill that supports critical thinking and ensures kids have safe and welcoming environments? How does H.R. 2616 get us there? It does not.

To this end, instead of rushing a bill that inflames culture wars, Congress should work in a bipartisan manner through regular order on legislation that builds consensus to:

Ensure all children have opportunities to learn by doing-- engaging in experiential learning, including career and technical education;

Care for young people's mental health and well-being, including a demand that social media companies protect, not prey on, children;

Catalyze a vast expansion of community schools that meaningfully partner with families;

Support teachers and support staff, and give public schools the resources students need to thrive;

Increase students' access to healthy meals;

Provide AI guardrails;

Enact gun safety measures, such as safe storage, that keep our kids safe and protect parents from the unimaginable; and

Help school districts recruit and train diverse teachers to alleviate the teacher shortage.

Yes, parents should know what is happening, and across the nation, students, parents and educators are working tirelessly with each other to identify and advance solutions that protect our students, value our parents and support our educators. We urge you to listen and work with us on what is needed in our schools.

Thank you for considering our views on these issues. I urge you to vote no on H.R. 2616 and instead bring measures to the floor that help us fight for a better life for all. Sincerely, Randi Weingarten, President, AFT. ____ National Education Association, Washington, DC, April 27, 2026. House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Representative: On behalf of our 3 million members and the students they service, we urge you to VOTE NO on H.R. 2616 because it would require educators to betray their students and violate their own professional standards. Votes on this issue may be included in NEA's report card for the 119th Congress.

This bill represents a major intrusion of the federal government where it does not belong--in curricular issues that should be debated and decided locally, as well as private matters of student identity. School communities would become less safe and less welcoming for many students, as well as educators.

Teachers, counselors, nurses, and other school staff could be required to ``out'' transgender and nonbinary students despite the damaging repercussions. Such students are already at heightened risk of harassment and bullying. This bill would make them even more vulnerable.

In addition, the bill's overly vague definitions of certain terms could lead to censorship that undermines the essence of a good education: exposure to different, age-appropriate perspectives.

Educators strive to ensure that students have what they need to learn and grow. They work with students and families to build school communities where every student is supported and feels a sense of belonging. Making sure that public schools are safe and inclusive environments where all students--no matter what they look like, where they come from, or how they identify--can thrive and prepare for their future is essential.

Treating a particular group of students as less deserving of respect, autonomy, and privacy--and even, inadvertently, putting them in harm's way--is the antithesis of educators' professional obligation: fostering learning environments based on respect, inclusion, and most of all, safety.

Please VOTE NO on H.R. 2116. Sincerely, Kimberly Johnson Trinca, Director of Government Relations, National Education Association.

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Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I will note that 40 percent of homeless youth are LGBTQI+ largely because they have been rejected by their families. Of course teachers should involve parents in their child's education, but a teacher also has a professional duty to ensure a child's safety.

This bill also forbids the teaching of any subject related to the existence of transgender people. That includes banning books, supportive student groups, or even textbooks that reference gender dysphoria.

Transgender kids do exist. They aren't products of a conspiracy or indoctrination. They are just kids, made who they are by God and by nature. They deserve our care and they deserve our respect just as any child does.

The majority is intent on making sure that transgender kids don't have anywhere where they might feel included, recognized, or safe.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote against this bill.

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