Bill Text: NJ A5110 | 2022-2023 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes "Parents Bill of Rights Act"; prohibits school district from interfering with fundamental right of parent or guardian to engage in and direct student's education; permits opt-out of school district curriculum.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 5-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-01-23 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee [A5110 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2022-A5110-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman MARILYN PIPERNO
District 11 (Monmouth)
Assemblywoman KIM EULNER
District 11 (Monmouth)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes "Parents Bill of Rights Act"; prohibits school district from interfering with fundamental right of parent or guardian to engage in and direct student's education; and permits opt-out of school district curriculum.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning a parent's right to engage in and direct a student's education, and supplementing chapter 36 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Parents Bill of Rights Act."
2. The Legislature finds and declares that:
a. Parents and guardians have a First Amendment right to express their opinions of decisions made by State and local education leaders.
b. Parents and guardians have a fundamental right to engage in and direct their child's education.
c. States and local educational agencies should empower parents and guardians to communicate regularly with federal, State, and local policymakers and educators regarding the education and well-being of their children.
d. Transparent and cooperative relationships between parents and guardians and school districts have significant and long-lasting positive effects on the development of children.
e. Parents' and guardians' concerns over content and pedagogy deserve to be heard and fully considered by school district professionals.
f. Parent, guardian, and other community input about schools that is presented in a lawful and appropriate manner should always be encouraged.
g. Educators, policymakers, and other stakeholders should never seek to criminalize the lawfully expressed concerns of parents and guardians about their children's education.
h. The Legislature believes that the First Amendment guarantees parents and other stakeholders the right to assemble and express their opinions of decisions affecting their children and communities, and that educators and policymakers should welcome and encourage engagement and consider feedback when making decisions.
3. a. A parent or guardian of a student enrolled in a school in the State has a fundamental right to engage in and direct their child's education that shall include, but not be limited to, the right to:
(1) a summary of the curriculum to be taught to their child in the current school year;
(2) review the curriculum to be taught to their child in the current school year;
(3) review a list of the media services, textbooks, and books that are used in the classroom and that are available to a student through the school district; and
(4) opt their child out of any curriculum that the parent or guardian believes is in conflict with their conscience or sincerely held moral or religious beliefs. No penalties as to credit or graduation shall result from a parent or guardian's decision to opt a student out of any curriculum pursuant to this subsection.
b. No school or school district shall interfere with a parent or guardian's fundamental right to engage in and direct their child's education or deny a request by a parent or guardian for information made pursuant to the provisions of this section.
4. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes the "Parents Bill of Rights Act." The bill provides that a parent or guardian of a student enrolled in a school in the State has a fundamental right to engage in and direct their child's education. Under the bill, the parent or guardian's fundamental right to engage in and direct their child's education includes, but is not limited to, the right to (1) a summary of the curriculum to be taught to their child in the current school year; (2) review the curriculum to be taught to their child in the current school year; (3) review a list of the media services, textbooks, and books that are used in the classroom and that are available to a student through the school district; and (4) opt their child out of any curriculum that the parent or guardian believes is in conflict with their conscience or sincerely held moral or religious beliefs. No penalties as to credit or graduation are permitted as a result of a parent or guardian's decision to opt their child out of the curriculum under the provisions of the bill. The bill prohibits a school or school district from interfering with a parent or guardian's fundamental right to engage in and direct their child's education or denying a request by a parent or guardian for information made pursuant to the provisions of the bill.
