[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 52 (Wednesday, March 22, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H1307]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         IN DEFENSE OF PARENTS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. McCormick) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in defense of parents who 
have the right to guide their child's education and to know what is 
being taught in the classroom.
  This body will soon vote on a great piece of legislation, H.R. 5, the 
Parental Bill of Rights. This bill puts parents in the driver's seat 
and makes students the priority, not bureaucrats or administrators.
  It is hard to imagine who would fight against parental rights and 
school choice, but just the other day, Democratic legislators in my 
home State of Georgia were trying to stop several successful bills that 
expand education options for families.
  Shockingly, their reasoning was that low-income families are too 
uneducated and poor to have a say over their own children's schooling.
  If you don't believe me, here are the exact words of Georgia's 67th 
House District Representative just last week: ``. . . they,'' meaning 
the parents, ``are already in the lower 25th percentile, meaning a lot 
of those parents did not finish high school, cannot direct, and could 
not finish their own education.''

  She continues: ``I am extremely concerned that we would put money in 
their hands, that entire piece of life in the hands of parents who are 
not qualified to make those decisions.''
  Well, I think that is nonsense. The vast majority of Americans--moms 
and dads and teachers and students--know that is nonsense.
  History is littered by governments who thought they knew better, and 
that people and parents did not know better, much to the detriment of 
that culture and the ultimate failure of that government.
  That is why I am offering two amendments to the Parental Bill of 
Rights. The first one establishes the right of parents to be informed 
about, and consent to, participation in any non-curriculum events or 
activities.
  We already do this for things that government schools deem important 
like field trips, gifted programs, individual education plans, and free 
and reduced lunches. I believe that parents' rights do not end at the 
discretion of the administration.
  Unfortunately, in recent years, some school systems have used the 
classroom as a bully pulpit to push social engineering instead of 
learning environments. This is not a partisan issue, and this has got 
to stop. The way it stops is keeping parents informed of what happens 
at school.
  My other amendment guarantees parents the opportunity to address 
their school boards regarding any violation of their rights. As we have 
seen too often across the country, concerned moms and dads have been 
silenced, thrown out, or threatened when standing up for their 
children. This is unacceptable.
  Families need accountability in their schools and a place to make 
their voices heard. Fortunately, from Georgia to Virginia, from Texas 
to Idaho, and yes, even from California to New York, we are beginning 
to put students over systems and the people over a government, just 
like the Constitution intended.
  This revolution of school choice and parental rights will help 
millions of families across America, and we are just getting started.

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