New report finds rise in parental rights education bills has a ‘chilling effect’ – By Justin Gamble (CNN) / Aug 24, 2023
CNN — Since 2021, state lawmakers have introduced nearly 400 bills aimed at giving parents, government officials and concerned citizens the ability to challenge or monitor what schools teach about race and gender issues, according to a new report from the free expression advocacy group PEN America.
While many of these laws stop short of directly censoring what is taught in classrooms, the PEN America analysis found many of the proposed bills have had a “chilling effect” on public education.
Educators told the advocacy group they now fear they could be held criminally liable and lose their jobs for teaching “prohibited” concepts.
“Bills with these provisions are frequently being cast as advancing ‘parental rights’ or ‘curriculum transparency,’” the report stated.
CONTINUE > https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/24/us/pen-america-parental-rights-bills-concern-reaj/index.html
