PEN America recently reported on the June 10, 2026, Education Workforce Committee Hearing,
This definition of parental involvement does not reflect the kind of meaningful, long-recognized, and legally protected engagement that already gives parents under existing federal law the right to inspect instructional materials, receive records about their children’s education, and opt their children out of specific, narrowly defined activities. Nor does it reflect the many avenues school districts offer through which parents can engage with administrators and teachers in good faith efforts to improve schools.
Two bills, both misleadingly titled, HR 2616, the Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act, and HR 7661, the Stop the Sexualization of Children Act, advanced earlier this spring. Together, they would use federal education funding to pressure schools to restrict materials, student support, and instruction related to gender identity. Schools that fail to comply risk losing those funds. Framed as parental protections, the bills use that leverage to shape what schools teach, what materials students can access, and how educators support vulnerable students. Their proponents have explicitly focused on gender- and sexuality-themed materials, continuing a pattern of policies that marginalize LGBTQ+ students while creating a framework for broader educational censorship.
Read More: Congress Seizes on ‘Parents Rights’ Agenda to Nationalize Censorship in Public Schools
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