Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s parental rights bill will get formal input from Alaskans in the House Education Committee on Thursday, with pubic testimony opening at 5:15 pm.
The bill, House Bill 105, preserves the rights of parents to know what is being taught to their children in school on subjects that have always been sensitive: sexuality and alternative gender identity. Should schools, run by radical teachers unions, be indoctrinating children with sex education in kindergarten without parents’ knowledge? That’s just one topic that’s sure to bring out opinions.
Already, radical senators have introduced a different bill that would mandate “age-appropriate,” “science-based” sex education start as early as kindergarten. SB 43 is cleverly titled “An Act relating to health and personal safety education,” demonstrating the lack of transparency and honesty in education about which parents have grown concerned. Testimony on that bill can be viewed at this legislative link.
HB 105 provides more transparency for parents who are concerned that schools may be giving their children new gender identities without parents’ or guardians’ knowledge, or secretly giving them new gender names or alternative pronouns (he, her, ze, etc.)
In 1978, Congress enacted the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, giving parents the right to inspect curriculum being taught to their children. In 2016, the State of Alaska passed a parental rights bill, defining parental authority and ensuring that a parent could withdraw their children from any test or curriculum they deemed inappropriate.
HB 105 further defines parental authority and changes the language around human growth and development and sexual education from parental right to “opt out” to the requirement that parents must “opt in.”
The mainstream media has misled Alaskans about HB105, intentionally mischaracterizing the bill as somehow discriminating against gender-confused or alternative gender students.
HB 105 protects the privacy and safety for all students, by designating bathrooms and locker rooms according to biological sex or providing for the use of single-occupant facilities for gender-alternating students.
HB 105 protects students by allowing a counselor to withhold information from parents if there is reasonable belief that disclosure of the information would cause abuse, harm, or neglect.
HB 105 requires parental notification and permission to participate in sexual education, including gender identity, and to change a student’s name at school. HB105 protects children by establishing that parents, not school personnel, have the authority in their children’s education.
The bill is narrower than other parental rights bills advancing around the country in Republican-led states in response to an increasing trend in schools to push gender-bending or highly sexualized content on very young children. In Florida, a parental rights bill also covered medical procedures done to children without parents’ consent, such as gender reshaping or the prescribing of puberty-blocking medications. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed that bill one year ago.
The Dunleavy bill was introduced to the House on March 8, and has been referred to Education, Judiciary, and Finance. Because of its late introduction, it’s not likely to pass both bodies this year and the Democrat-controlled Senate is likely to run the clock out on the bill.
House Education will start public testimony at 5:15 pm and will continue until 7:15 pm. If there are callers in the queue prior to 7:15 pm, the committee will stay until they are heard. To testify, use the following numbers:
Anchorage: 907-563-9085
Juneau: 907-586-9085
All others: 844-586-9085
The meeting will be televised by Gavel Alaska, and can be watched live via computer at this link.
