Missouri HJR 135: Proposes a constitutional amendment relating to the parents' bill of rights

Bill Text

SECOND REGULAR SESSION
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO.
135
101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE TRENT.
5491H.02I DANA RADEMAN MILLER, Chief Clerk
JOINT RESOLUTION
SubmittingtothequalifiedvotersofMissourianamendmenttoArticleIXoftheConstitution
of Missouri, by adopting one new section relating to education.
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring therein:
That at the next general election to be held in the state of Missouri, on Tuesday next
2 following the first Monday in November, 2022, or at a special election to be called by the
3 governor for that purpose, there is hereby submitted to the qualified voters of this state, for
4 adoption or rejection, the following amendment to Article IX of the Constitution of the state
5 of Missouri:
Section A. Article IX, Constitution of Missouri, is amended by adopting one new
2 section, to be known as Section 11, to read as follows:
Section 11. 1. This section shall be known and may be cited as the "Parents' Bill
2 of Rights".
3 2. As used in this section, the term "parent" means a child's biological or
4 adoptive parent, guardian, or other person having control or custody of the child.
5 3. Parents of a child attending the public schools of this state have the right to
6 participateinanddirecttheeducationoftheirchildandtoknowwhatisbeingtaughtin
7 their child's school.
8 4. This section shall be construed to protectand promote the rights of parents to
9 participate in and direct the education of their child who attends a public school. Such
10 parents' rights shall include, but are not limited to, the following:
EXPLANATION — Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in the above bill is not enacted and is
intended to be omitted from the law. Matter in bold-face type in the above bill is proposed language.

11 (1) The right to be notified if any school employee or official suspects that a
12 criminal offense has been committed against the parents' child;
13 (2) The right to be involved in their child's education and to be notified of these
14 rights and of any information that affects the well-being of their child;
15 (3) The right to access and view school curricula, guest lecturer materials, and
16 staff training manuals in a timely manner and in easily accessible formats;
17 (4) The right to access school district and school building performance
18 information in a timely manner and in an easily understood and fully accessible format;
19 (5) The right to transparent access to school and school district financial
20 information in an easily understood and fully accessible format;
21 (6) The right to choose existing educational choice options provided by law that
22 best suit the learning needs of their child including, but not limited to, the right of
23 parents to choose which public school, school district, or local educational agency isbest
24 for the parents' child;
25 (7) The right to request to opt their child out of the classroom for any
26 presentation of content listed in the syllabus with which the parents disagree;
27 (8) The right to control their child's likeness in district materials, subject to
28 exceptions such as court orders; and
29 (9) The right to control their child's health and identifying markers including,
30 but not limited to, the right to opt out of health measures not required by state order or
31 statute.
32 5. The public schools of this state shall take all actions necessary to promote,
33 preserve, and protect the rights described in this section including, but not limited to,
34 the following actions:
35 (1) Making available all curricula such as the title of each textbook, course
36 outlines, and reading lists to the public at least thirty days before the beginning of a
37 semester in which the material will be taught;
38 (2) Making available school building level and district academic performance
39 information including, but not limited to:
40 (a) Any financial and academic data submitted to the state department of
41 elementary and secondary education;
42 (b) The percentage of all students scoring at the proficient level or higher on all
43 assessments administered under the Missouri assessment program or any subsequent
44 equivalent assessment adopted;
45 (c) The percentage of students in each reportable subgroup including, but not
46 limited to, race, ethnicity, economically disadvantaged, students with disabilities, and
47 English language learners scoring at the proficient level or higher on all assessments
HJR 135 2

48 administered under the Missouri assessment program or any subsequent equivalent
49 assessment adopted; and
50 (d) For grades three to eight, the growth score in English language arts and in
51 math measured against the national normal curve equivalent or any subsequent
52 equivalent measurement adopted;
53 (3) Making available all financial data available in a searchable and easily
54 understood format including, but not limited to:
55 (a) Financial reports and audits