Republican Senator Tom Cotton is aiming to introduce a new bill called ‘Empower Parents to Protect Their Kids Act’ to Congress. This legislation will overturn schools’ authority to undermine parental control over their children’s gender changes and gender identities.
Schools should not be allowed to encourage students to change gender without parents’ approval
Currently, many public schools allow students to change their name, gender identities, sex-based accommodations, (e.g dormitories and locker rooms) and pronouns associated with their original names.
However, the new bill, if passed, will restrict school authorities from allowing students to take these measures. While talking to Fox News, the senator said schools need to work in collaboration with parents to protect kids.
Likewise, he said many schools have lied to parents about children’s gender transitions, which completely undermines parents’ authority over their own kids.
If passed, Cotton’s bill will require schools to comply with three prerequisites to get access to federal funding. For instance, schools will need to get parents’ consent before allowing students to gender transition.
Likewise, schools will not be allowed to conceal any information from parents or force the student to withhold information regarding their gender identities. Not only this, but schools cannot force students or parents to treat children’s gender dysphoria anymore.
Today, Sen. @TomCottonAR introduced the Empower Parents to Protect Their Kids Act, a bill that would prohibit K-12 schools that receive federal funds from facilitating “gender transitions” for children without their parents’ knowledge and permission.
It has our full endorsement pic.twitter.com/oxvUsQiE15
— American Principles 🇺🇸 (@approject) October 21, 2021
Cotton said it is time to restrict schools from imposing harmful and radical ideologies on children without their parents’ consent. Similarly, he vowed the upcoming bill would promote parents’ authority over their children, which will ultimately protect kids from the negative consequences of schools’ policies.
The GOP senator further added schools should behave as educational institutions and not the indoctrination camps which are brainwashing minors.
Once implemented, the bill will also require schools to report to the Secretary of Education regarding their compliance, as well as inform parents about any policy changes. Likewise, the schools will be bound to upload their policies on their websites so nothing remains in a grey area.
Democrats unlikely to support Republicans’ efforts of empowering parents
Recently, many schools got involved in controversial policies of allowing children to change their gender identities without the approval of their parents. For instance, the policy of New Jersey encouraged schools to accept children’s gender identity without any parental consent.
Likewise, the Wisconsin policy discouraged school staff from revealing any information that disclosed children’s gender identity to their parents.
"Parents love their children more than any government bureaucrat ever could, and it is abhorrent that any school would systematically exclude parents from significant healthcare decisions being made for their kids." – @Schilling1776
Full statement👇https://t.co/Rz4cxUSldl
— American Principles 🇺🇸 (@approject) October 21, 2021
This was a much-needed bill after the Department of Justice’s recent memo, which restricted parents’ authority over children. The said memo threatened to sue parents while naming them as “domestic terrorists.”
With that memo, the Biden administration came under fierce criticism over its recent measure, not only from Republicans, but also from parents nationwide.
While criticizing school policies, Cotton said he is striving to reinstate parents’ authority, which modern-day schools are trying to snatch from them.
Currently, Democrats are controlling Congress in its entirety and seeing their liberal agenda, it is not clear whether they will support this new bill or not.
