Today the U.S. House stepped
into the fiery debate about kids
and classrooms.
Passing a bill that publicans
call states rights but opponents
called dangerous move in a
culture war.
>> For years, flaring.
>> I am so upset that I have to
stand before this board.
>> Rising.
>> We can't trust that you would
actually listen to us.
>> And sometimes roaring.
Debates over schools and kids
have now reached the U.S.
Capitol.
>> Should parents have the right
to be involved in their child's
education.
That is the question before us.
>> What about the rights of our
students?
What about the rights of our
young people.
Why are my Republican colleagues
not advocating for our students?
>> House Republicans passed a
priority bill.
It is hr five, called the
parents bill of rights.
It would require that parents be
allowed to see curriculum plans,
lists of materials and can look
at any available books.
Also they would be told about
school budgets and any incidents
of violence.
Republicans say this is simple.
It comes out of years of covid
lockdowns and parent sidelining.
A department of justice noticed
in 2021 about threats to
teachers and school boards.
Some parents felt they were
labeled as the threat.
>> These parents are not to be
labeled as domestic terrorists.
They are proud parents.
>> The debate shows this is also
a political and cultural battle
with much deeper layers to it.
>> There is this hostility to
traditional values that is
seeping into the public schools
today.
>> And in response, deep
opposition to this from some
parents.
>> No on hr five.
>> These parents from the
national parents union leave the
bill could harm their bills --
their kids with a chilling
effect on what they can read.
They came from across the
country to say it misses the
real issues in their schools.
She sees increased violence and
kids, especially kids of color
failed by schools and resource
issues.
She thinks this bill is a
dangerous distraction.
>> It's devastating to our
community that our kids can't
read but we want to debate what
good -- what books are going to
be taken out of the curriculum.
If the kids can't read, what
does it matter anyway?
Let's focus on the real meat and
potatoes and that is about
student and family success.
>> Others disagree.
>> I am a resident of west
Chester Pennsylvania.
>> She has a mom who ran and won
after her own experience left
her feeling shut out by school
officials.
>> My advocacy for my children
characterized as some political
ploy was really hurtful.
>> The Republican bill, she
claims, is also not about
banning anything.
>> What it says, what it affirms
is that parents have a right to
know what is being taught.
>> At the capitol though.
>> General debate.
>> Most controversial has been
part of the bill requiring
teachers to notify parents if
children are being treated as
transgender.
Republicans say that addresses
parent fears of being in the
dark.
>> Our bill enshrines
commonsense transparency for
parents of children to reflect
these concerns.
>> Democrats say that is
dangerous for kids.
>> This is about mile got
Republicans who want to start a
fake culture war targeting some
of the most vulnerable kids in
America.
In our kids classrooms.
Shame on you.
>> All of this comes with its
own civics lessons about parents
with the same ardent motivation
but in completely separate
conversations.
>> This could be a unique
opportunity but will keep
pushing us apart because we are
not listening.
>> House Republicans celebrated
the bills passage today it is
not expected to move in the
senate.
>> To talk about what this means
for families, a journalist who
covers the education podcast
have you heard and is co-author
of a book about the future of
public education.
Let's just take the politicians
out for a second.
What do we know about where
Americans are on this issue of
parents and schools?
>> One thing we know is that the
polls have been remarkably
consistent over the past couple
of years that parents and
Americans across the board and I
am talking about both political
parties which is so unusual
right now, opposition to
anything having to do with book
bands and limits on what
teachers can teach and kids can
learn is broad and deep.
And I think people might be
really surprised to hear that
because you probably think that
these laws that keep popping up
must be in response to popular
demand and that actually is not
the case.
>> I want to take apart the
sides of this.
With the parents driving this
idea, what do we know about the
idea that parents in this
country are getting blocked out?
What is happening with school
systems?
>> I think it's really important
to acknowledge just how awful
the pandemic was for everyone
for parents in particular.
I think it would be a big
mistake for us to just write off
this movement as astroturf or
the product just of politicians
who want to stir the pot in
order to reap political goals.
There is definitely something
going on.
As we watch the movement evolve,
the causes keep morphing and the
demands get more and more
extreme.
Whereas there was initially
quite a lot of support for
things like reopening schools
and greater parent involvement
in schools, now more and more as
we see those demands start to
translate into things like
banning particular books or
focusing so much attention on
trans kids in particular, public
opinion in favor of that
movement diminishes.
>> This bill that was passed in
the house doesn't have a book
ban in it, but opponents say
this is part of conservatives
especially using the phrase
parental rights to push
opposition and even shut out
some things that those parents
oppose like books.
What do you make of that?
Are these things connected or is
there no connection?
>> I thought it was really
interesting that you heard so
many Republican leaders get
really defensive about precisely
that question and that's because
they know that for more and more
Americans, the parents rate
because it's getting harder and
harder to distinguish from these
unpopular book bands.
One thing we should really
remember is that there were a
lot of politicians who ran on
the parents rights because
during the midterms and they did
not do well.
We sought Republicans win when
they were up for reelection when
they were reaching out to the
base.
But as far as an issue that
galvanized suburban women in
particular, the parents rights
because was a failure.
I think you hear that in these
concerns of leaders on capitol
hill who are worried that what
they thought was going to be
this cause the -- that lord
independents for suburban women
is turning out to be something
extreme and unpopular.
>> I noticed something that I
wasn't looking for but was hard
to ignore when reporting this
story.
The photo on the left is of
speaker Mccarthy and the
supporters of this parents
rights bill.
On the right, the opponents in
the picture I took with them
yesterday.
There's a clear difference
between these groups.
On the left, the supporters
mostly white.
On the right, almost entirely
people of color.
It made me wonder what is the
role of race here?
Is there one?
>> Absolutely there is several.
So many of the earliest
iterations of these bills
limiting what teachers can teach
and kids can learn more focused
on race.
That picture you just showed is
so striking and part of the
reason that we are seeing the
popularity of the cause drop is
precisely because of that.
I could point you to one state
after another where some kind of
restrictive law has been passed
and there is a version of the
picture on the left that looks
exactly like that.
Why is it always -- why are the
kids always white?
What is going on?
And I think there is a strong
element of race playing into
this that people are definitely
picking up on.
>> Is this issue a fad or will
this be here a long time?
>> This is not the first time we
have seen parents rights emerge
as an issue.
When it came up in the 90's, one
of the reasons it lost support
and withered away was precisely
what we are seeing now.
More people get a clear sense
that something that sounds good
in the abstract, giving parents
more say, too easily translates
into banning particular books or
limiting what kids in a whole
school have access to, the less
they like it.
>> Jennifer Berkshire, thank
you.