On Wednesday, the House passed H.R. 2616, Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act, legislation led by Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) and Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT) to increase transparency in K-12 schools, strengthen parents’ rights, and ensure federal education dollars are not used to advance radical political or ideological agendas in the classroom.
Chairman Tim Walberg said: “Too many schools are keeping parents in the dark about what’s happening in their own children’s classrooms, even going so far as to withhold critical information about their kid’s wellbeing and development. Families deserve honesty, not secrecy—especially when it comes to issues like gender identity. Simply put, parents should never be the last to know—that’s not political, it’s common sense. Meanwhile, political and ideological agendas are being pushed through curriculum without parents’ knowledge or consent, sidelining the very people responsible for raising these children. Parents don’t lose their rights at the schoolhouse door. It’s time to restore transparency and put parents back in the driver’s seat.”
Rep. Burgess Owens said: “There are only two sexes: male and female. Sex is a biological fact, not an ideological whim. Yet across the country, school districts are actively pushing radical gender ideology on children and, in some cases, facilitating social transitions without parental knowledge or consent. The Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act is simple: any district that promotes these ideologies in the classroom or conceals a child’s gender transition from his or her parents will lose federal funding. Parents, not school administrators, have the ultimate right to make decisions about their children’s upbringing. The government should not be funding or pushing these radical ideologies on our children, and this bill ensures that will be the case.”
H.R. 2616, Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act, incorporates legislation led by Chairman Walberg (PROTECT Kids Act) and Rep. Owens (Say No to Indoctrination Act). The bill:
- Ensures schools keep parents informed and involved in key decisions affecting their children.
- Prohibits federal funds from being used to promote radical gender ideology or compel ideological beliefs—codifying President Trump’s executive actions and affirming that there are two sexes.
- Requires clear communication with families and establishes consequences for withholding critical information.
- Puts parents—not bureaucrats—back in charge of their children’s education.
