Source: United States Senator for Arkansas Tom Cotton
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: James Arnold or Mary Collins Atkinson (202) 224-2353
October 21, 2021
Cotton Introduces Bill to Prevent Schools from Concealing Gender Transitions from Parents
Washington, D.C. – Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today introduced the Empower Parents to Protect Their Kids Act, legislation that would prevent K-12 schools from performing a “gender transition” on children behind their parents’ backs. This bill would also empower parents to sue schools that violate this Act by hiding or withholding information about their child’s “transition.” Bill text may be found here.
“Schools should never be allowed to impose radical, harmful ideologies on children—especially without parents’ knowledge and consent. My bill will protect students and ensure that parents are in control of their children’s education. Schools must remain institutions of education, not indoctrination camps where minors are manipulated and brainwashed,” said Cotton.
This bill would ensure that all federally funded elementary school and secondary school employees abide by the following requirements regarding minor students:
- Receive parental consent before facilitating a student’s gender transition in any way.
- Do not withhold information from parents or coerce students to withhold information from their parents about their purported gender identity.
- Do not pressure parents or students to proceed with a gender transition.
The American Principles Project, Heritage Action, The Ethics and Public Policy Center, and Parents Defending Education Action support this bill.
Background:
Public schools have adopted radical policies to allow students of any age to change their name, pronouns, gender identity, and even sex-based accommodations (e.g. locker rooms) without telling parents. Schools are deliberately hiding these changes from parents. The following are examples of these egregious policies:
- New Jersey’s statewide policy: “A school district shall accept a student’s asserted gender identity; parental consent is not required.”
- Madison, Wisconsin’s district policy: “School staff shall not disclose any information that may reveal a student’s gender identity to others, including parents or guardians.”
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