Parental rights in education will hurt students

Editorial:

Parental rights in education law enactments have been the focal point of recent anti-LGBTQ+ campaigns, however they are not something new to the political stage in the U.S. Since 1995, these bills have been introduced in 25 states. In 2005, the Ninth Circuit Court struck a parental rights in education bill down on the grounds that “parents are possessed of no constitutional right to prevent the public schools from providing information on the subject [of sexuality] to their students in any forum or manner they select.”

However, parents around the country are still trying to control the narratives within their children’s education today. Six states have enacted laws allowing parents to sue schools for discussing LGBTQ+ people and experiences, there was a Senate bill introduced earlier this year aiming to cut federal funding for any K-8 schools that allow students to express themselves at school without parental consent, and there is even a resolution in the House of Representatives which aims to add a parental rights amendment to the Constitution.

The Olympian believes that school is supposed to prepare students for the real world, not hide the truth. We believe the initiatives for parental rights in education contradict the vital