House Republicans Advance Bill to Protect Children from Gender Ideology in Schools

WASHINGTON-House Republicans are advancing H.R. 2616 - Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act, legislation led by Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) to require parental consent before schools make major changes involving a child's name, pronouns, gender markers, bathrooms, or locker rooms.

House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) and Chairman Walberg released the following statements:

"Parents are losing their voice in schools that increasingly believe they know better than them," Chairwoman McClain said. "Radical leftists want schools to keep secrets from families and use taxpayer dollars to push politics on children. House Republicans are saying enough. Parents have the right to know what is happening with their kids, and no school should be allowed to shut them out of decisions this serious."

"Too many schools are keeping parents in the dark about what's happening in their own children's classrooms, even going so far as to withhold critical information about their kids' wellbeing and development," Chairman Walberg said. "Families deserve honesty, not secrecy-especially when it comes to issues like gender identity. Simply put, parents should never be the last to know-that's not political, it's common sense. Meanwhile, political and ideological agendas are being pushed through the curriculum without parents' knowledge or consent, sidelining the very people responsible for raising these children. Parents don't lose their rights at the schoolhouse door. It's time to restore transparency and put parents back in the driver's seat."

The Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act makes parental consent a condition for public schools receiving ESEA funds. It restores basic transparency and makes clear that parents, not school officials or political activists, are the primary decision-makers for their children.