Committee Hears Parents—s Bill of Rights; Supporters Urge clearer notice and mental-health consent

Senator Kim Ling, sponsor: Senate Bill 72 would create a consolidated parental bill of rights for students and require school districts to provide parents a single, clear notice of their rights at the start of each school year.

The bill, introduced at a public hearing of the state Senate Children and Family Law Committee on Oct. 12, seeks to gather statutes that currently spread parental rights across multiple chapters into one chapter of law and to require schools to post the consolidated notice on their websites and distribute it to parents in writing. "That's the whole bill," Senator Kim Ling said, summing up the measure's intent to make existing rights easier for nonlawyers to find.

Supporters told the committee that a single statutory location and a simple notice would help parents understand and exercise rights that are currently scattered across state and federal rules. "This crucial legislation acknowledges and safeguards the fundamental rights of parents to guide their minor children's upbringing, education, and care," said Kimberly Allen, an educator and parent, who asked the committee to add explicit language on parental consent for mental-health services after describing a case in which her son was moved to a different class and offered in-school counseling without her prior notice.

Several witnesses urged changes to clarify how the bill would interact with existing privacy and medical-consent laws. Anne Marie Banfield, a parental-rights advocate, said school practices have…