Today, Senator Paul Gazelka (R-East Gull Lake) joined colleagues to introduce a “Parents’ Bill of Rights” that would put parents’ in the driver’s seat of their kids’ education. After years of COVID restrictions and distance learning, children struggle to meet basic educational goals. The proposal aims to get kids back on the right track by increasing school transparency, disclosure, and accountability to parents. 

“Children are most successful when their parents are engaged and involved in their education. Period,” Gazelka said. “Unfortunately, Minnesotan parents are being shut out of the classroom by teachers and administrative bureaucrats who think they know best. We need to get parents back in the room, and this legislation reaffirms the importance of their involvement in the process.” 

The caucus presented a bill that states schools must not withhold information about their child’s well-being or education and requires schools to have a regular system for notifying families of activities at school. It applies to both public and charter schools and serves as the cornerstone of parental rights for the proposal. “

Two bills aimed to increase transparency in the classroom are part of the proposal. One requires access to each class syllabi made available to parents within the first two weeks of the academic term. The second has a broader curriculum review that requires schools to make all instruction materials available to parents. It requires the school to allow for reasonable accommodation for alternative instruction if a parent objects to the content without penalty to the student. The school is not required to provide alternative instruction. 

After parents across the nation spoke up with curriculum concerns and faced backlash, the Senate proposed a bill to prevent doxing of parents’ home addresses. The bill clarifies that a parent or other citizen may not be forced to provide an address or contact information to participate. 

In addition to increasing transparency and accountability, there is a bill for Educational Savings Accounts. These accounts allow parents to set aside money to pay for tutoring, tuition, and other support services with a tax-preferred account, which could help significantly help students struggling with COVID-related learning loss.