RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – It’s a controversial subject: should parents be kept more in the loop about what their kids do and say at school?
It’s a matter that’s up for debate right now in the North Carolina legislature.
On Wednesday, the House voted in favor of the “Parents’ Bill of Rights.”
That means there’s just one more vote needed there before it gets a final vote in the Senate.
A dozen people showed up to the committee hearing and took to the microphone during public comment.
Some traveled from all over the state, to plead with lawmakers to vote against Senate Bill 49.
“Schools, for many, are safe spaces for LGBTZQ+ students to explore their identities and their authentic selves, when they don’t have safe community outside the school space,” said Hannah Wilson, a teacher in Durham.
Others showed their support for the bill.
“We have compassion for individuals struggling with identity issues and gender dysphoria, however for a school to willfully withhold this information from parents is a breach of trust,” said John Rustin, from the North Carolina Family Policy Council.
Bill sponsor, Sen. Amy Galey (R-Alamance), said the bill reaffirms the need for communication between public school staff and parents.
“Parents are having concerns and questions of their child’s education and are feeling that the public school system is not responsive,” she told lawmakers.
In part, the bill states that parental permission would be needed for students to participate in anonymous surveys.
It also prevents the instruction of gender identity and sexuality for students in kindergarten through fourth grade.
The bill will also require school staff to notify parents if their child changes their pronoun or name in class.
“I’m concerned about children and abuse, not necessarily from the school system but from parents who don’t agree with whatever they disclose to their teacher and that teacher is forced to tell their parents,” said Rep. Allison Dahle (D-Wake).
“People are proposing that parents lose the right of essential information about their children’s mental health, on a mere suspicion that a parent might, or might not do something,” countered Galey.
Senate Bill 49 also includes other rules for public schools, including policies on how a parent can learn more about their child’s curriculum, and the need for parental consent for health care treatment.
