Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., introduced the Parental Rights Relief Act this week aimed at making it easier and faster for parents and certain students to enforce federal education privacy and parental rights laws. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
In Milwaukee, conservative nonprofits attempted to hold the public school district there accountable for letting kids, without any parental consent, indicate in school evaluations if they wanted to be referred to by pronouns different than those associated with their birth gender. The district was subsequently accused of trying to secretly transition students without their parents' knowledge. According to parental rights group Defending Education, over a thousand school districts across the country "have adopted policies to hide gender transitions at school from parents," as of its count in February.
Meanwhile, in Connecticut's Windsor Public Schools, parents highlighted federal law when they were denied access to their district's "Social-Emotional Learning" curriculum being taught to their kids. Other examples of FERPA and the PPRA being invoked include when schools fail to offer any, or adequate, opt-out options to parents for student surveys involving sensitive questions, such as those about sexuality and gender identity.
The Department of Education building in Washington Feb. 4, 2025. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)
In addition to giving parents a private right of action under FERPA and PPRA violations, Hageman's bill would establish a review board to investigate, review and adjudicate complaints under these federal laws, which must be addressed within a 90-day timeframe.
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The private right of action is only permitted for students under 18 and allows parents to refrain from having to exhaust all other administrative remedies before going to court. A court may permit the attorney general to intervene in a civil action brought forward under this bill if it is deemed appropriate.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gop-lawmaker-vows-give-parents-more-power-schools-blatantly-violate-students-rights