(NewsNation) — Parents trust Democrats more than Republicans to develop a “parental bill of rights,” according to a new poll from the National Parents Union.
The survey of more than 1,000 parents of public school students found 36% of them trust the Democratic Party to craft such legislation, compared to 24% who trust Republicans. About 13% percent of respondents said they trust both parties equally.
The poll comes amid a push in conservative states to develop so-called parental bills of rights, which proponents argue would give parents a greater say in public school curriculum and policy.
“Republicans are making a mockery out of parents’ rights and parent voice and their recent political stunts have done nothing more than highlight how deeply disconnected they are from American families,” said Keri Rodrigues, president of the National Parents Union. “While a loud minority carries on about trying to get books banned, the majority of us are fighting to make sure America’s families can survive during this brutal economy, don’t lose more children to gun violence in our schools, have access to high quality schools that give them the chance for economic mobility and teach the truth about America’s history.”
Busloads of mothers and fathers came to Congress on Wednesday to protest a bill the GOP says would give parents more say over their kids’ education. Those who showed up believe the bill is about politics, not education.
The Federal Parents Bill of Rights Act, which is set for a vote in the House of Representatives this week, would direct educators to publicly post the curriculum for each school. It would also require schools to notify parents and guardians of their rights — including the ability to review their school’s curriculum and budget.
Although more than half (52%) of respondents in the National Parents Union said they had heard not much or nothing at all about parental rights education legislation, 81% said a bill should guarantee access to information about budgets, staffing and leadership.
A majority of the parents surveyed rejected bans on curriculua, with 58% saying a parent should only be able to have their own child opt out of the curriculum or reading materials. About 18% said a parent should be able to prevent all students at a school from having access to curriculum or reading materials.
The debate over parents’ involvement in schools reached a boiling point during the pandemic, when remote learning became common. During that time, videos of screaming parents at school board meetings quickly became viral sensations.
Of the of respondents in the National Parents Union poll, 20% said they should be allowed to say whatever they want at board meetings, even if they make threats of harm or violence.
“It is horrifying to think that 20% of parents in this country say threatening school board members should be allowed,” Rodriguez said. “We have never had to resort to death threats to be heard by our elected officials. Silence in response to threats of violence and contributes to the rising tensions in this country.”
NewsNation staff members Kellie Meyer and Sean Noone contributed to this report.
