[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 219 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 219

  Expressing support for developing supportive, inclusive, safe, and 
responsive public schools that provide all students with a well-rounded 
  education and prepare all students for success in life and for the 
   exercise of their social and economic rights, fostering parental 
involvement in education in a manner that builds partnerships and trust 
   between parents and educators, and protecting the civil rights of 
                         students and families.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 10, 2023

   Ms. Bonamici (for herself, Ms. Leger Fernandez, Ms. Jayapal, Ms. 
Stevens, Ms. Norton, Ms. Adams, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Ms. Sewell, Mrs. 
  Hayes, Ms. Jackson Lee, Ms. Blunt Rochester, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Mr. 
     Courtney, Mr. Sablan, Mr. Takano, Mr. DeSaulnier, Ms. Lee of 
California, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Bush, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Chu, Mr. Bowman, 
   Ms. Jacobs, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Payne, Ms. Crockett, Ms. Pressley, Ms. 
Salinas, Ms. Tokuda, and Ms. Brown) submitted the following resolution; 
   which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing support for developing supportive, inclusive, safe, and 
responsive public schools that provide all students with a well-rounded 
  education and prepare all students for success in life and for the 
   exercise of their social and economic rights, fostering parental 
involvement in education in a manner that builds partnerships and trust 
   between parents and educators, and protecting the civil rights of 
                         students and families.

Whereas public elementary and secondary education serves a crucial public good 
        funded through local, State, and Federal funds that should be 
        administered in a way that provides a free, quality education for 
        everyone;
Whereas the investment of sufficient resources is necessary to high-functioning, 
        responsive public elementary and secondary schools;
Whereas public elementary and secondary education has been a cornerstone of 
        democracy since its inception and provides opportunities for social 
        mobility and economic empowerment for all students;
Whereas all students benefit from opportunities to learn in diverse, well-funded 
        elementary and secondary schools alongside peers who have had different 
        life experiences, speak a different language, practice a different 
        religion, celebrate different traditions, have a disability, or live in 
        a family different from their own;
Whereas all students benefit from an education that helps them develop digital, 
        scientific, mathematical, civic, and other forms of literacy and develop 
        creative skills, and all students benefit when they gain the skills and 
        knowledge that will enable them to make good decisions, treat others 
        with respect, and contribute positively to their community and the 
        Nation;
Whereas all elementary and secondary students benefit from the opportunity to 
        receive a comprehensive, well-rounded education that includes the arts 
        and humanities, which provide their own educational benefit while also 
        benefitting performance in other subjects;
Whereas a well-rounded education provides all students with the skills and 
        knowledge they need to contribute to the building of a multiracial, 
        multiethnic, diverse, and inclusive democracy;
Whereas the opportunity to learn about people with a disability, inclusion of 
        people with disabilities, and the diversity of disability communities 
        across race, ethnicity, religion, and other identities supports 
        education and well-being for young people with disabilities and all 
        young people;
Whereas all students benefit from the opportunity to receive an elementary and 
        secondary education that encourages them to understand the history of 
        the Nation, the difficult and encouraging parts of its history, and its 
        potential to serve as a model for the world;
Whereas a complete and historically accurate education affirms and validates 
        diversity and imparts honesty, integrity, and courage in students to 
        advance the unfinished work of achieving racial and gender equality;
Whereas all elementary and secondary students benefit from the opportunity to 
        see themselves reflected in educational materials, including in books, 
        lesson plans, and other materials;
Whereas all elementary and secondary students benefit from attending a school 
        with an adequate number of school psychologists, counselors, or social 
        workers to support their mental health and well-being and provide 
        support during crisis;
Whereas a well-educated populace and equal access to high-quality public 
        elementary and secondary schools are vital to the functioning of a 
        representative democracy;
Whereas local, State, and Federal policies include a broad, inclusive definition 
        of a parent that accounts for students living with another individual or 
        family member serving as their guardian or caregiver;
Whereas public elementary and secondary schools have been immeasurably enriched 
        by the advocacy and involvement of parents and community members, and 
        student learning is best supported by the full involvement of families 
        in education;
Whereas all parents want and deserve the best for their children, including 
        safe, affirming, inclusive, and supportive learning environments where 
        parents are treated with dignity and provided opportunities to engage 
        with and contribute to their child's school community;
Whereas parents are eager to partner with their children's educators in 
        collaborative, productive, and meaningful ways;
Whereas providing parents with the opportunity to work in partnership with 
        educators and school leaders toward the improvement of teaching, 
        learning, and school leadership is an important part of building and 
        sustaining excellent schools;
Whereas parents with access to information in a language and format they 
        understand are better able to contribute to the school community and 
        support the success of all children;
Whereas parents benefit from access to information about how students in their 
        child's school are performing in relation to State-set academic and 
        school climate standards;
Whereas racially, culturally, linguistically, and socioeconomically diverse 
        parents should be given the opportunity to become meaningfully involved 
        in a school community and develop close and lasting connections with 
        educators and school leaders;
Whereas parent involvement is complementary and essential to, not separate from, 
        the work of educators, support staff members, and school leaders;
Whereas over the years some students and their families have been excluded from 
        public elementary and secondary schools on the basis of their actual or 
        perceived race or ethnicity, the languages they speak, whether they have 
        a disability, actual or perceived LGBTQI+ identity, if they are pregnant 
        or parenting, if they are a religious minority, or where their family 
        comes from;
Whereas hostile school environments that discourage families with LGBTQI+ 
        members, multilingual families, families where parents or children have 
        disabilities, or others from joining in the school environment create 
        additional barriers to parental involvement;
Whereas parents and other community members with perspectives about the 
        direction and leadership of an elected or appointed Board of a school 
        district are encouraged to peacefully and nonviolently exercise their 
        First Amendment rights to voice those concerns during public Board 
        meetings;
Whereas all people in the school community benefit from being treated with 
        respect and dignity, including by the use of their own pronouns and 
        name;
Whereas all elementary and secondary students benefit from the opportunity to 
        participate fully and as their whole selves in extracurricular 
        activities where they can learn about teamwork, persistence, and 
        competition;
Whereas discrimination against any student or their family under any 
        circumstance undermines the learning environment for all students and 
        damages trust between students and educators, educators and families, 
        and schools and the communities in which they are located;
Whereas age-appropriateness is one important consideration in developing 
        classroom materials and providing access to reading materials and should 
        support, not undermine, the opportunity of students to learn about and 
        celebrate people who are similar to and different from them and their 
        families;
Whereas censorship and denying students access to books by and about people who 
        are Black, Indigenous, or other people of color, LGBTQI+, religious 
        minorities, or members of other marginalized groups, or who are living 
        at the intersection of these and other identities, undermine the 
        education of all students, take choices away from all students and their 
        families, and limit the opportunities of parents, families, and children 
        to access an education and think critically about the world around them;
Whereas research has shown that all elementary and secondary students benefit 
        from educators with diverse backgrounds;
Whereas research has shown that all elementary and secondary students benefit 
        from educators who are adequately prepared, supported by school leaders, 
        and fairly compensated;
Whereas all students benefit from educators who are culturally competent and 
        well-trained on diversity, equity, and inclusion principles;
Whereas access to a diversity of educators and age-appropriate reading 
        materials, including those that feature people with whom they have 
        differences and share similarities, is critical to learning about the 
        world and developing a sense of belonging and social responsibility;
Whereas educators who have access to support for their mental and emotional 
        health better support their students' academic achievement and foster 
        more positive classroom environments;
Whereas limitations placed on how educators can address topics related to race, 
        gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity limit their ability to 
        meet students' educational needs and teach to State academic standards, 
        while also negatively affecting educators' working conditions and 
        students' learning conditions; and
Whereas threats against or attacks on educators and school personnel are harmful 
        to those being threatened or attacked, their families, and the school 
        community: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the importance of sufficiently supporting 
        public elementary and secondary schools so they can provide all 
        students with a well-rounded education that prepares them for 
        success in life and provides social mobility and economic 
        empowerment;
            (2) celebrates and encourages the engagement of elementary 
        and secondary students and their parents in education, and the 
        collaboration between parents, educators, school leaders, and 
        community members with the goal of supporting student learning, 
        growth, and development;
            (3) urges the adoption of educational materials by 
        elementary and secondary schools that are historically 
        accurate, reflect the powerful diversity of the Nation, and 
        prepare students to think critically and participate actively 
        in a multiracial and multiethnic democracy; and
            (4) promotes the implementation of practices that reduce 
        disparities, eliminate discrimination, and make elementary and 
        secondary schools safer, more inclusive, and more supportive 
        for all students.
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