Florida lawmakers advance "Parents' bill of rights"

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Under this, a school district would have to develop a policy to “promote parental involvement”, which would include outlining procedures for parents to object to or withdraw students from classroom materials and activities on the basis of morality, sex, religion, or the belief that the materials are harmful. That would specifically include withdrawal from sex education. The procedures would also have to create an opportunity for parents to learn about school choice options, the right to exempt a child from immunizations, and the ability to get a variety of information about the school, curriculum, education materials, testing, and more.

This bill also creates new areas of parental consent for health care in schools. It would require a student to get consent from a parent for mental health evaluations and treatments, physical examinations, and any prescribing of prescription drugs. There are exceptions to this provision for emergency care.

In debating this bill, Senators in favor of the proposal said they wanted to make sure parents were empowered with information about the big issues their child is facing at school. Opponents fear the impact specifically of the healthcare provisions, by questioning whether children will avoid coming forward to seek help if they have to get permission from their parents.