Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, a senior member of the House Armed Services, celebrates the passage of the FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which included her Servicemembers Parents Bill of Rights.
Stefanik’s Servicemember Parents Bill of Rights reinforces that Servicemembers with children in Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools have the right to be informed and involved in their children’s education and increases transparency and accountability in DoDEA schools.
“As a parent and a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, I am proud to have led the Servicemembers Parents Bill of Rights which was included in this year’s national defense bill and will now be signed into law.” Stated Congresswoman Elise Stefanik. “Nearly two years ago, DoDEA parents reached out to my office with concerns regarding DoDEA schools teaching radical gender ideologies and telling teachers to keep gender transitioning students a secret from their parents. Following this disturbing notification, I immediately began working on the Servicemember Parents Bill of Rights. After two years of persistent advocacy, the Servicemember Parents Bill of Rights will now be law and Servicemembers with children in DoDEA schools will have the right to be fully informed and involved in their children’s education. As our men and women serving in our military look out for our own safety, I am proud to stand up for them and ensure the rights of our Servicemember parents.”
Specifically, this amendment would provide parents of children attending a school operated by DoDEA with the following rights:
- The right to review the curriculum of the school.
- The right to know if the school or DoDEA alters the school’s academic standards or learning benchmarks.
- The right to meet with each teacher of their child not less than twice during each school year.
- The right to review all instructional materials.
- The right to inspect a list of the books and other reading materials contained in the library of the school.
- The right to address the school board (domestic) or advisory committee (abroad) of the school.
- The right to information about the school’s discipline policy and any violent activity in the school.
- The right to information about any plans to eliminate gifted and talent programs or accelerated coursework at the school.
This amendment also requires each DoDEA school to:
- Notify parents of any medical examinations or screenings the school may administer to their child and receive written consent from parents prior to conducting the examination or screening.
- Notify parents of any medical information that will be collected on their child, receive written parental consent prior to collecting such information, and provide parents an opportunity to inspect such information at the parent’s request.
