Townhall talked about how Republican-led states like Florida and Virginia have enacted policies that inform parents about their child’s education, including whether the child chooses to have a chosen name and preferred pronouns.
On the other hand, there are states like New York and California, led by Democrats, who plan to keep parents in the shadowy about what is happening to their children in schools. Additionally, Townhall described how many school districts across the country have been exposed to pushing these types of policies, including in Colorado, Virginia, Kansas and some areas of California. In May, a school district in Cincinnati, Ohio, was exposed for instructing teachers to report child abuse to protective services if the parents of a “transgender” student did not support the student’s gender identity.
News broke this week that Wisconsin lawmakers approved a bill Thursday to protect parents’ education rights. However, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers is expected to veto it.
The Wisconsin State Assembly passed the bill measure 62-35, sending it to the state Senate. If passed, Evers will likely veto the proposal, according to CBS News. In 2022, Evers vetoed a similar proposal (via CBS News):
The bill would guarantee parents a number of rights, including the right to determine the pronouns their children are known by at school.
The bill would also give parents the right to remove children from classes for religious or personal beliefs. They would have the right to be informed about any surveys or assessments that reveal their or their children’s political affiliations, sexual or illegal behavior; any vaccinations offered by the school; and whenever a “controversial topic” such as gender identity, sexual orientation or racism will be discussed. Parents can sue schools that violate these laws.
“The topic of gender identity may come up, the topic of systemic racism may come up,” Wisconsin Republican Robert Wittke, who spearheaded the bill, said at a news conference. “Families want to know when their children will be exposed to these topics so they can work sensibly with students and not let it all just flow out of the classroom.”
Unsurprisingly, Democratic lawmakers opposed the bill, calling it “extremist” and “hateful.”
“We will continue to oppose these hateful bills that target our transgender and non-binary students,” said Democratic Rep. Melissa Ratcliffe WKOW.
“This is bullshit. This is an attack on transgender people. This is a violation of civil rights and an attack on students and teachers,” added Rep. Ryan Clancy (D-State). “This is actually the fifth anti-transgender bill or other iteration that we’ve seen this session, and it actually distracts from work that we shouldn’t be doing to make life better for Wisconsinites.”
Polls have shown that Americans support schools that inform parents about their children’s curriculum and gender identity, even in predominantly Democratic states.
