Originally published: . Volume 14, No. 4. Source pages: 4.
In a March 23 press release, Louisiana's U.S. Congresswoman Julia Letlow, Ph.D, announced that her Parents Bill of Rights Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives with a a 213-208 vote. The bill now moves to the U.S. Senate where it will await further action. “As a mom of two and a former educator, I believe for children to succeed, they need families and schools to work together as partners throughout the learning process,” Letlow said. “After spending nearly a year and a half working to pass this bill, I’m grateful that we’re finally able to advance this critical legislation.” According to the legislative digest, the bill establishes various rights of parents and guardians regarding the elementary or secondary school education of their children. Local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools must comply with the requirements of the bill in order to receive federal education funds. Specifically, the bill requires schools to notify parents and guardians of their rights regarding the education of their children. These rights include the right to: • review the curriculum of their child's school; • meet with each teacher of their child at least twice each school year; • review the budget, including all revenues and expenditures, of their child's school; • inspect the books and other reading materials in the library of their child's school; • address the school board of the LEA; • receive information about violent activity in their child's school; and • know if their child is not grade-level proficient in reading or language arts at the end of 3rd grade.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.