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House rejects bill that would alter parental-consent rules for two small student groups
Summary
After extended debate on parental rights and access for at-risk students, the House defeated House Bill 56, a measure to notify parents by registered mail and allow opt-out for limited curriculum for youth in custody and young-parent programs. The bill failed 2-72.
The Utah House on Feb. 10 defeated House Bill 56, a proposal by Representative Mary Carlson that would have changed parental-consent rules for two narrow groups of students: those in the custody of youth corrections and students in young-parent programs.
Carlson, the bill sponsor, said the measure sought to reach ‘‘a very small population’’ that often loses routine communication between school and home. She told colleagues that notice would be sent by registered mail and ‘‘if they do not want them to participate, then they will send back in the form to exempt their children from those programs.’’
Opponents said the bill shifted the burden onto parents and risked eroding parental rights. Representative Hogue argued the measure could ‘‘take away the rights of the parent’’ if a written refusal was not returned within two weeks. Representative Wright warned the change would alter the presumption of parental responsibility by treating nonresponse as consent.
Representative Nora Stevens and others proposed amendments to add instruction about abstinence and fidelity and to preserve explicit parental consent language; the House divided one amendment and later approved a second amendment that substantially altered the bill’s operational language. After the changes, Carlson said the bill ‘‘doesn’t do anything’’ and indicated she would vote against it.
The House voted 2-72 to reject HB56. Under the revised text considered on the floor, supporters and opponents differed on whether the bill increased access to at-risk youth or improperly shifted authority away from parents. Representative Carlson emphasized the bill’s intent was to protect access for students who might otherwise miss educational opportunities, while opponents called for alternatives that would maintain direct parental engagement.
With its defeat, the House left in place the existing parental-consent framework for the groups described in the bill. No further action on HB56 was recorded on the floor.
