January 12, 2022
Today, Senator Chase presented SB832 The Parental Rights to Educational Transparency, today before a 3 to 2 Democrat controlled Senate Subcommittee on Public Education and was granted an additional week to work with stakeholders on their objections.
CHESTERFIELD, VA - Virginia Senator Amanda Chase presented SB832 Parental Rights to Educational Transparency today before a Democrat controlled Senate Subcommittee, which consists of 3 Democrats and 2 Republicans.
Instead of allowing the subcommittee to kill the bill, based on opposition led by Mr. Shane Riddle with the Virginia Department of Education and the Virginia School Boards Association, Senator Chase asked for and was granted an additional week to meet with stakeholders and address concerns.
The bill will be revised and heard again next week by the Subcommittee on Public Education. The VDE requested that we strike provision #3 that requires parents be involved when a child needs counseling, to exclude cases of child abuse. This will be taken into account with amendments to the bill.
Mr. Riddle advised that all of the issues in SB832 should be addressed by the local school boards and he wasn't aware of any issues, ignoring the blatant issues in Loudoun County, Montgomery County and other counties around the state. He stated he is completely unaware of any issues with school boards not listening to parents.
SB832 Parental Rights to Educational Transparency declares that the parent of any student enrolled in a public elementary or secondary school in the Commonwealth has the fundamental right to:
1. Access a list of any printed or non printed format, audiovisual, electronic, multimedia or digital instructional material
2. Participate in the textbook review and approval process;
3. Receive notice of and give informed consent to any counseling or guidance program offered to his child by the school;
4. Access his child's education records;
5. Receive advance, written notice of any school-sponsored field trip, activity, assembly, presentation, or other event at which his child's attendance is invited, including a clear opt-out provision;
6. Receive advance notice of any questionnaire or survey to be administered to his child;
7. Receive notice of and attend any public meeting of the school board in the local school division in which his child is enrolled;
8. Review the annual school division budget and expenditures; and
9. Petition the circuit court with jurisdiction over such child's local school division to review an action of the school board if the parent is aggrieved by such action.
10. Requires the Department of Education to develop and make available to each school board model policies and procedures to ensure compliance with the parental right to review and exempt his child from any printed or audiovisual instructional materials used as a part of the curriculum in any class or course in which such parent's child is enrolled.
11. Revises existing policies and duties of each local school board in accordance with the parental rights to transparency in education.
"Parents have a fundamental right to make decisions concerning the upbringing, education, and care of their child. This is the law as stated in Code of Virginia § 1-240.1, and must be honored by all educators and administrators," stated Senator Chase.
SB832 is expected to be heard again in the Subcommittee on Public Education on Wednesday, January 18, 30 minutes after session and before Health and Education Committee on Thursday, January 19 at 8:00am in Senate Room A, Pocahontas Building. The Subcommittee Chair usually provides a recommendation to the full Health and Education committee.
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