Congressman Tim Walberg, who represents the Michigan 5th Congressional District (which includes parts of southern Kalamazoo County) And Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina introduced the Parental Rights Over the Education and Care of Their (PROTECT) Kids Act. The bill would require elementary and middle schools that receive Federal funds to obtain parental consent before changing a minor child’s gender markers, pronouns, or preferred name on any school form, allowing a child to change the child’s sex-based accommodations, including locker rooms or bathrooms.
The text of the bill states;
(1) The law in the United States has long recognized the importance of parental rights. A parent’s right to oversee the care and education of their child is guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.
(2) Parents have a fundamental, constitutionally guaranteed right to raise and educate their children in the way that they choose.
(3) Public schools across the country are violating these fundamental parental and familial rights by deliberately hiding information about gender transitioning children from their parents
“Schools should not be withholding information about students from parents,” said Rep. Walberg. “Parents need to have a seat at the table for every discussion related to their children and we need to demand full transparency. This bill would safeguard parental rights by requiring parental consent and will help mitigate under-the-radar activism in our schools. I look forward to continuing to work with Senator Scott, as we work to defend the rights of parents by enshrining this legislation into law.”