A North Carolina Senate proposed bill was amended on May 24, 2022, to prohibit public schools from teaching LGBTQ curriculum in kindergarten through third grade.
The bill, titled the Parents’ Bill of Rights, requires K-12 public schools and local school boards to adopt procedures that notify parents of a change in their child’s mental or physical health. Under H.B. 755, parents would be informed if their child decides to use different pronouns at school and would also be required to sign off on any counseling or non-emergency health care their child seeks. The Senate amendment would prohibit the inclusion of LGBTQ curriculum in kindergarten through third grade.
Although similar to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill prohibiting instruction on gender identity or sexual orientation for kindergarten through third-grade students, North Carolina’s Parents’ Bill of Rights does not prohibit conversations about sexuality in classrooms. Senate President Phil Berger (R) said, “There’s no attempt to squelch folks from talking about things. There is a specific prohibition on it being part of a curriculum in kindergarten through third grade.”
State Senator Deanna Ballard (R) supported the bill, telling the Associated Press, “Greater participation from our parents really does lead to a better quality of life for our students. When parents are excluded from critical decisions affecting their child’s health and well-being at school, it really sends a message to children that parents’ input and authority is really no longer important.”
House Bill 755 passed the North Carolina Senate with a vote of 28-22 on June 2, 2022.
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