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House Republicans recently introduced the Parents Bill of Rights Act, which would provide a basis for school choice legislation in states such as Texas, where the issue of education spending accounts (ESAs) has been up for debate.
The Parents Bill of Rights Act would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require schools to give parents the list of books available in the school library, post the curriculum publicly, affirm parents' rights to address school boards, and require school districts be more transparent and accountable for funding and discipline reports, according to CNN Politics.
“This week, the House will consider HB 5, the Parents Bill of Rights Act,” The Washington Times opinion column said. “It mandates curricular transparency, requires that parents have regular opportunities to provide feedback to teachers and board members, and ensures public disclosure of school and district budgets. The measure also strengthens privacy protections for children and requires schools to notify parents when violence takes place on school grounds."
The authors, Jonathan Pidluzny and Alex Caro Campana, who are codirectors of the Higher Education Reform Initiative and Center for 1776 at the America First Policy Institute, wrote that passing the Parents Bill of Rights Act and similar bills on both the federal and state levels "is the essential first step toward reestablishing parental authority in education. But we must also work to rebuild cultural awareness that a child’s education is a paramount parental responsibility and that it is up to mothers and fathers, not the government, to shape the character of their children.”
The bill has more than 70 Republican cosponsors, according to CNN. A similar bill was introduced to the U.S. Senate in 2021 but was never brought to a vote.
According to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's (R-CA) website, “Empowering parents and promoting the well-being of children is a top priority of the House Republican majority. That’s why the Parents Bill of Rights was a critical piece of the House Republican Commitment to America.”
ESAs are an educational alternative in many states, which allow parents to use state-provided funding on any qualifying educational expense. Other school choice alternatives -- such as private schools, homeschooling and charter schools -- don’t allow the parents to receive funds, according to Texas Scorecard.
According to The Dallas Morning News, an ESA bill was introduced March 10 in the Texas Senate, calling for ESAs of up to $8,000 for families to be used for private school tuition, books, tutoring, transportation, uniforms and other materials. Spending would be monitored by a state comptroller’s office, so the funds wouldn't be available up-front and could only be used for private schools or on vendors approved by the state.