By Fiona Fehrman and Kyla Bannerman
The “Parents’ Bill of Rights,” also known as Senate Bill 49, was passed by the state senate and house of representatives last spring and went into effect in August. The new rules became law on Jan. 1.
The bill aims to increase parental involvement in their children’s school and discourages school employees from withholding information from parents about a child’s health, sexual orientation or gender.
The “Parents’ Bill of Rights” also requires teachers to inform parents if their child goes by different pronouns or a different name then they do at home.
The teacher obligation to report name and pronoun changes is one of several new laws that give parents more power in making decisions for their children in education and well-being in school. It says that the parents will have the right to “make healthcare decisions for his or her child” and to “direct the upbringing and moral or religious training of his or her child.”
Many Riverside students and staff were upset about this new legislation.
“This law is really bad and it could harm a lot of people,” Sophomore Lucy Gray said. “It could make school an unsafe environment,”
Many teachers and staff believe the new legislation could put students in jeopardy.
“It is extremely harmful and it hurts my heart,” said Gold.
“It brings a home issue into school,” said Hayes.
“As an educator, I don’t feel it’s my place or responsibility to expose a child’s preference in how they would like to be addressed,” said math teacher Kayla Thompson. “If it came down to it, I do understand the potential consequences of my position, and I’m at peace with that.”
NC’s “Parental Bill of Rights” arrived amid a wave of new policies across the country. 20 US states have banned gender-transition care for minors and nearly half US states have enacted laws that ban transgender women playing on female sports teams.
In 2016, North Carolina was the first state to pass a bill barring trans people from using public restrooms that fit their gender identity. In 2017 this bill was repealed.
Durham Public Schools’ Board of Education explored ways to opt out of the legislation after hearing concerns from teachers, students and parents that the laws could change the way LBGTQ+ students are treated. The legislation also bans instruction on sexuality, sexuality and gender identity until fifth grade.
But during a Dec. 14 meeting the board voted to comply with the law.
“We recognize that Senate Bill 49 may have some negative impacts on some of the students and families,” DPS school board chair Bettina Umstead told WRAL after the meeting. “So we have crafted our policies in a way that we will hope protects and families and provides the necessary supports needed.”
A series of interviews with Riverside students and faculty suggests almost nobody is familiar with the details in the bill. But many agreed that it was newsworthy and should be talked about.
“People gotta be knowin’,” said Gray.
Some students sympathized with those who are impacted by the new law.
“This isn’t fair to the kids who are affected by this,” said junior LeRon Divers-Childs.
Photo by Fiona Fehrman
