Article archive / December 2021
Originally published: . Volume 12, No. 12. Source pages: 4.
US Reps Letlow and Graves Introduce The Parents Bill of Rights Act
Congresswoman Julia Letlow introduced the Parents Bill of Rights Act with a group of colleagues, including Garret Graves,
Letlow represents Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. A native of Monroe, Julia is a mother and professional in education who has dedicated her life to promote and advocate for higher education in Louisiana.
This legislation will put practices in place that facilitate meaningful dialog between a family and their child’s school, and lead to more input throughout the learning process.The Parents Bill of Rights is built on five core principles that would apply to all schools nationwide that receive federal funding, according to the announcement.
1. Parents have the right to review their school's curriculum, reading materials, and state academic standards. 2. Parents have the right to lawfully engage with their local school board and educators. 3. Parents have the right to see a school's budget and spending, including detailed information about revenues and expenditures. 4. Parents have the right to protect their child's privacy. 5. Parents have the right to keep their child safe and be updated on any violent activity at school.
The legislation also contains numerous transparency and accountability provisions designed to increase parent involvement in schools.
“As a mom of two and a former educator, I firmly believe that the relationship between parents and schools should be collaborative, not adversarial,” Letlow said. “Education is not a job parents or schools can do by themselves, it requires us to work together. This bill contains common-sense ideas, and it also fully opens the door for those partnerships.”
Letlow served as the executive director of external affairs and strategic communications at ULM from 2018 to 2019 and prior served as the director of marketing and communications for the university. She previously served at the Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans as the director of education, director of resident patient safety and quality improvement, and a clinical instructor of anesthesiology. She has also served as an instructor and teaching associate at ULM, Tulane University, and the University of South Florida.
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