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FIRST ON FOX: Parental rights advocates support a new bill introduced by Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., would give parents more power if schools violate a federal law meant to give them access to their children’s school records, and in some cases control what their children are exposed to in the classroom.
Hageman’s “Parents’ Rights Act,” introduced this week, would allow parents a private right of action, or in other words, the ability to sue in civil court for violations of federal law that allows them access to certain K-12 school materials, including surveys, questionnaires, and tests on sensitive topics. The law also gives parents the right to opt their children out of certain education, but it also has limitations when it comes to forcing schools or school districts to provide parents with learning materials.
“We’ve seen schools that willfully, intentionally, and abusing the rights of parents and students,” Hageman told Fox News Digital, adding that past administrations have failed to hold schools and school districts accountable under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Protection of Student Rights (PPRA). Each of these laws, established in the 70s, is cited in intervention efforts where parents are not allowed access to certain curriculum materials, or are not given the opportunity to opt their children out of certain teachings on sensitive topics.
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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 laws and parental rights laws. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
In Milwaukee, conservative nonprofits have tried to hold a public school district accountable for allowing children, without parental consent, to indicate in school evaluations if they want to be referred to by pronouns other than those associated with their birth gender. The district was then accused of trying to secretly switch students without their parents’ knowledge. According to the parent advocacy group Defending Education, more than 1,000 school districts across the country “have adopted policies to hide gender transition from parents at school,” as of February.
Meanwhile, in Connecticut’s Windsor Public Schools, parents challenged a state law when they were denied access to their district’s “Emotional Learning” curriculum taught to their children. Other examples of FERPA and PPRA being invoked include when schools fail to provide parents with any, or adequate, options to opt out of research involving sensitive questions, such as gender and gender identity.
Parents come together to support their children’s “opt out” policy, as it pertains to certain aspects of what their school teaches. (Becket’s Fortune)
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“All my bill is trying to do is implement a part of federal law that I believe the Department of Education has tried to avoid,” Hageman told Fox News Digital. “They are slow in the investigation when parents complain about not being able to access the curriculum. They refuse to investigate when parents say their children are educated – they say it is a girl, or a boy – and the supporters – they are the Department of Education – do not follow the law according to FERPA and PPRA.”
Fox News Digital reached out to several Democrats and left-leaning education leaders, including the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, for comment on Hageman’s new “Parents’ Rights Support” law but did not receive a response in time for publication.
The morning sun shines on the front of the Department of Education building in Washington, US, February 4, 2025. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
In addition to giving parents a confidential right of action under FERPA and PPRA violations, Hageman’s bill would also establish a review board to investigate, review and adjudicate complaints under these federal laws, which must be handled within a 90-day period.
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The private right of action is only suitable for students under the age of 18, and allows parents to avoid using all other administrative solutions before going to court. The court may allow the attorney general to intervene in a civil action brought under this bill, if deemed appropriate.
