Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) has introduced the Parental Rights Over the Education and Care of Their (PROTECT) Kids Act in the U.S. Senate. The legislation requires public schools to notify parents before the school changes a student’s name or pronouns on school records. Parents also must be notified if their child is using different “sex-based accommodations.” Failure of a public school to comply would result in the loss of federal funding. Senators Lindsay Graham (R-SC) and Roger Marshall (R-KS) have joined as co-sponsors.
Senator Scott says his legislation is needed because “Parents have a fundamental, constitutionally guaranteed right to raise and educate their children in the way they choose.”
The current U.S. Senate is divided 50 to 50 with Vice President Kamala Harris casting tie-breaking votes. Thus, Senator Scott’s legislative proposal is unlikely to pass or even come to a vote this year. Nonetheless, the senator has “planted the flag” for parental rights and deserves our support. A new Senate after November’s election may be more supportive of the proposal.
