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I request that you approve SB:90:The Children's Laws Omnibus. We recognize that it will soon be heard in the House Education K-12 Committee. We believe the bill is crucial for the rights of parents and legal guardians to be recognized as paramount in the education of their children. Ultimately it is the parents or legal guardians’ responsibility, not educators or medical professionals, to see that their children are provided with an education that is healthy and coincides with their belief system. Schools must be transparent in all areas that impact a student while at school or when participating in extracurricular activities on or off campus. Parental consent must be required. Secrecy is not to be tolerated unless there is a legitimate concern that a child might be in danger of abuse from a parent or legal guardian.  

I support ALL the changes in the bill with emphasis on the following sections:

Section 5 – The health education program must not include information on gender identity, sexual activity, or sexuality. Emphasis must be on the importance of abstinence from sexual activity outside of marriage and information about the consequences of out-of-wedlock sexual activities.

Section 6 – It is imperative that there be a process for the selection of books in the classroom or school library that assures they are age-appropriate.  Unfortunately, the content of too many books in our schools are unacceptable for minors. Topics that are vulgar and include explicit, inexplicit sexual activity, sexual nudity, gender distortions, profanity, excessive violence, etc. are unsuitable for minors. Schools are public institutions that must safeguard children from attempts to groom and indoctrinate them into ideologies that are not supported by most parents or legal guardians.

Section 7 – Punishment for the dissemination of material harmful to minors should apply to all institutions. There should be no exemption for schools, medical centers, churches, public libraries, etc. Protecting children from predatory behavior must be the goal.

Section 8 – Public libraries must restrict access to harmful materials by minors.

Section 9 – Education, not mental health care, is the constitutional responsibility of schools.  Instead of diverting resources to mental health care, schools should notify a parent or legal guardian of their child’s need and provide names of licensed professionals for their care.

Section 14 – Schools must inform parents if they believe a child is at imminent risk of suicide or self-identifying as a gender different from the student’s biological sex. Again, parents or legal guardians are responsible for the ultimate care of their child and the school has no authority to withhold this information.

I support this bill as it will protect children and make schools a safer learning environment.

Read SB 90 here.