WASHINGTON — Education and Workforce Committee Vice Chair Burgess Owens (UT-04) participated in the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education hearing titled “Safeguarding Student Privacy and Parental Rights: A Review of FERPA and PPRA.”
Rep. Owens opened his remarks by emphasizing that the strongest education systems are built on trust and cooperation between parents, teachers, and schools – not government overreach.
Rep. Owens: “Education is one of the most important aspects of childhood. While children are young, we teach them things they need to know and how to think. Education is most important, most meaningful, and impactful when parents, teachers, and schools work together in harmony. However, some schools increasingly see parents as an obstacle that needs to be ignored or overcome. … We have to start with that premise that there’s only one set of parents, and they’re not in the school system unless it’s their kids.”
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Rep. Owens questioned Laura Powell, Founder and President of Californians for Good Governance, on the barriers parents face when seeking access to their children’s curriculum, particularly in districts that use digital instructional materials.
Mrs. Powell: “It’s not easy for parents who live in districts like mine, where the districts seem reluctant to share this information. One thing I want to tell parents is go ahead and make these requests. … Don’t be afraid to be persistent. And also, actually, the first line of defense is your children. Keep the lines of communication open with your children. Make sure you’re instilling your values in your children. They are your spies on the inside.”
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Rep. Owens then asked Deborah Figliola, a retired secondary special education and English teacher from Harrisonburg City Public Schools, about the long-term harms caused by school policies that conceal gender transition information from parents.
Mrs. Figliola: “Educators need to partner with parents. That’s been the grounding for me from the beginning of my teaching career. … When we do not communicate with parents, and when children are not encouraged to communicate with parents, it creates a wedge between that child and that parent. That wedge gets bigger and bigger as time goes on. … To get rid of that wedge is really important for kids’ mental health.”
The full hearing is available to watch here.
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