A Statement from Center for Arizona Policy President Cathi Herrod, Esq.

Arizona lawmakers have responded to the strong message from parents that they reject government usurpation of their parental authority.

The Arizona House’s passage today of HB 2161 by a vote of 31-26-3 acknowledges the fundamental right of parents to raise their children. The bill affirms these rights for parents and provides a way to hold schools and healthcare providers accountable for violating parents’ rights.

Representative Steve Kaiser sponsored HB 2161 in response to the growing trend of teachers and school officials making decisions for students that clearly belong to parents.

The bill strengthens current law protecting those parental rights and ensuring parents have access to their children’s medical and educational records. It also puts an end to the growing practice of schools providing probing surveys to students without their parents’ permission. If schools want to know if there are guns in the home, how much money the parents make, or if they get along, they can ask parents themselves. Surveys would no longer be used as an end run around parental rights in public schools.

The bill now goes to the Governor for his signature. Call Governor Ducey and ask him to affirm parental rights and please sign HB 2161. Call his office at 602-542-4331.