Democrats in the Maine House of Representatives voted down a bill Thursday that would have guaranteed the “fundamental right” of parents “to make decisions regarding the upbringing, education and well-being” of their children.
Maine Senate Democrats had also previously voted against the measure, LD 1800 (SP 725), titled “An Act Regarding Parental Rights in Education.”
“The parents are the joint natural guardians of their minor children,” the bill states, and adds:
A parent is entitled to access all information regarding the school activities of the parent’s minor child. A parent is entitled to review all teaching or instructional materials, required textbooks, course syllabi, lesson plans and other teaching aids used in the classroom of the parent’s minor child, including while that parent’s minor child is participating in virtual or remote learning.
“A parent has the fundamental right to make decisions regarding the upbringing, education and well-being of that parent’s child,” the legislation continues, requiring that schools “notify each parent of each health care service offered at the school and offer the option to withhold consent for or decline any specific health care service for the student.”
State Senator Lisa Keim (R-Oxford), who sponsored the measure, testified in May before the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs that “2021 has now become known as the year of the great Parent awakening,” and that her bill was “meant to be responsive to the times, to the outcry of parents, and reaffirm proper authority – that it belongs with the parents.”
Keim (pictured above) continued that schools “have gone too far in shifting the decision-making power dynamic, taking control away from parents and giving it to the education bureaucracy.”
As The Maine Wire reported Thursday, however, Democrats’ political allies in the education, medical and mental health fields spoke in opposition to parental rights.
Democratic House lawmakers killed a bill that would have guaranteed parents’ “fundamental right to make decisions regarding the upbringing, education and well-being” of their children.
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Holly Blair of the Maine Principals’ Association said her organization opposes the bill because of the constraints it would place on schools when parents “have conflicting ideas of what they think is best for their shared child(ren).”
Dr. Sydney R. Sewall, representing the Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), suggested in testimony that teens would be more likely to seek help from school staff than parents in matters concerning “substance use, mental health, or sexuality issues.”
In explaining why AAP opposes the legislation, Sewall said:
The American Academy of Pediatrics believes that confidentiality is an essential component of adolescent health care – especially concerning sexuality, substance use, and unmet mental health needs … While school nurses and counselors are much more comfortable when they can involve parents in all aspects of their child’s care, we do not live in a perfect world. Up to this point, Maine law has supported the principle that providers should maintain confidentiality at the teen’s request, UNLESS the patient is at risk of harming his/herself or someone else.
Chris McLaughlin, executive director of the Maine Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW-ME), also testified in opposition to LD 1800.
In his testimony, McLaughlin provided his reasons why a parental rights bill “could be harmful,” including:
- “Undermining the autonomy of schools,” and giving parents “excessive influence over educational content and teaching methods, undermining the expertise and training of educators and administrators.”
- “Limiting diversity and inclusiveness: These bills could be used to suppress the teaching of topics related to race, gender, and LGBTQ+ issues.”
- “Eroding privacy rights” of children, allowing parents “to access their children’s records without their consent.”
- Allowing parents “to object to or opt their children out of evidence-based curricula, such as comprehensive sex education or climate change education, which could lead to a less informed and less prepared student population.”
- “Infringing on the rights of LGBTQ+ students.”
McLaughlin concluded by stating parental rights legislation is “both unnecessary and, frankly, offensive to the highly competent and dedicated educators of Maine.”
“The State Legislature has now killed one bill after another this session that would have strengthened parents’ legal standing with relation to both children’s health and education, despite strong public support for curricular transparency and parental rights,” The Maine Wire reported.
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Susan Berry, PhD, is national education editor at The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “Lisa Keim” by Maine Senate Republicans. Background Photo “Maine Capitol” by AlexiusHoratius. CC BY-SA 3.0.
