[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 39 (Tuesday, March 31, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H1781-H1782]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                THE PARENTAL FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 21, 1997, the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Tiahrt) is recognized 
during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. TIAHRT. Mr. Speaker, I want to take a few minutes this morning to 
talk about the Parental Freedom of Information Act.
  Educators and parents agree that students do much better when parents 
are involved in the education. But there are many barriers to getting 
parents involved in the education process. What the Parental Freedom of 
Information Act does is try to remove some of those barriers.
  Some of those barriers are something that are just indications of how 
far down our culture has slid. We have many broken homes, and many 
homes have both parents working. It is quite often too difficult for 
parents to spend the time they need to be involved in their children's 
education.
  It certainly is a sacrifice of time when there are so many financial 
demands on parents these days because of the cost of housing, the cost 
of clothing, the cost of living, that they cannot spend the time to get 
involved because they are working.
  Mr. Speaker, other forces in society have also caused a downhill 
slide. Quite often, we have lost touch with the virtues that built this 
great Nation, virtues like faith in God, hard work, honesty, integrity. 
That loss of virtues is also reflected in our school system.
  Getting parents involved in the child's education will help build a 
structure where children will be able to rely on their parents to help 
improve their education. Like I said, in education, teachers, 
superintendents and parents all agree.
  What the Parental Freedom of Information Act does is it allows 
parents access to the information related to their children's 
education. That includes medical records. It includes psychological 
testing. It includes test scores. It includes curriculum, anything 
involved with the curriculum.
  What we have seen in some situations across America is that school 
systems have denied parents access to the information, even when it 
includes medical treatment or psychological testing.
  In one case in Pennsylvania, in excess of 60 young women, girls, 
actually, in junior high were subjected to physical exams, which 
included exams that required them to take their clothes off. This was 
very much a shock for these girls. It was very difficult for them, 
traumatic for them, and many had to receive counseling afterwards. This 
was all done without parental consent, without parental notification.
  The Parental Freedom of Information Act would give parents access to

[[Page H1782]]

medical tests and require that they get permission before they conduct 
something like this. Anything that is mandatory would require that 
parent consent before it is conducted.
  It's the same with psychological testing, if there is any 
psychological testing; and there has been across the United States. In 
Texas and California, they have had psychological testing without 
parental consent.
  This legislation does not prevent students from voluntarily seeking 
psychological testing, psychiatric help, or medical help if they do so 
voluntarily. In some cases, there are conflicts between parents and 
students; and they do need to get some type of counseling. That is not 
excluded by this bill. I think that is very healthy for students to try 
to work through some of their problems so they can communicate better 
with their parents, and vice versa.
  Other barriers exist, especially related to some testing, that have 
been very difficult for parents to accept, especially when they are not 
involved in the process.
  In my home State of Kansas there was part of a standardized test that 
was given to junior high students was a reading comprehension test. The 
story that was selected was of a 7th grade girl who developed a 
relationship with an inanimate object, actually a statue of a crow. In 
this story this junior high girl begins to communicate with this 
statue, and the statue becomes her spiritual guide.
  Many parents in Kansas found that having junior high kids subjected 
to spiritual guides, or the philosophy of a spiritual guide, was 
offensive. They decided that they would try to do something about it. 
Eventually, the test was changed. But, parents were excluded from 
finding out about such types of standardized tests, tests that would 
subject every child in Kansas, sooner or later, to that.
  Mr. Speaker, I would just ask that my colleagues help support the 
Parental Freedom of Information Act and strengthen education.

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