Michigan Congressman Tim Walberg/Image: @EdWorkforceCmte/X
This week, the House passed H.R. 2616, the Parental Rights Over the Education and Care of Their Kids Act, also called the PROTECT Kids Act.
The Act was passed by a vote of 217–198, with only eight House Democrats voting for the bill.
H.R. 2616 requires public elementary and middle schools that receive federal funding (under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act) to obtain explicit parental consent before changing a student’s gender markers, pronouns, or preferred name on school records/forms.
Further, it also prohibits the use of federal funds to teach or advance “gender ideology.”
Despite protecting parents’ rights and their ability to protect their own children, only EIGHT Democrats voted for the bill.
Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), who is chairman of the Committee on Education & Workforce, sponsored the bill.
Walberg spoke on the floor in support of the bill saying, “Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2616, Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act. For years, concerned parents have felt ignored as education bureaucrats push radical agendas in schools without their knowledge or input. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when kitchen tables became classrooms, Parents got a firsthand look at what was really being taught. What many saw raised serious concerns.”
“Instead of focusing on basics like math and reading, many teachers and schools were introducing controversial lessons on gender ideology and pronouns, all while student achievement plummeted and continues to this day. In the years since, those concerns have eroded parental rights.”
“Schools— schools are facilitating gender transitions or encouraging students to change their names and pronouns without telling parents. These are enormously consequential decisions that have lasting impacts on a child’s well-being and development. Parents deserve to be part of those conversations.”
“One study from Defending Education found that at least 21,000 schools across the United States have policies that allow or encourage staff to hide a student’s name change or gender identity. This lack of transparency risks confusion, undermines trust, and weakens the essential partnership between families and schools. It also places teachers in a difficult position, sometimes expecting them to withhold information from parents or be less than fully transparent.”
“These policies are incredibly harmful to children and families. In fact, we’re now seeing a wealth of data to prove that children and teenagers who seek out drastic, life-altering medical procedures often struggle with mental health issues now and beyond.”
“Instead of supporting kids, these secretive gender transitions, often encouraged by radical school officials, do more harm than good.”
“At the same time, many parents are asking a simple question: Why aren’t schools more focused on helping students recover academically?”
“Test scores in key subjects remain stagnant or have declined. And students are still working to overcome pandemic-era learning loss. Parents, teachers, and school leaders should be working together to support student success, not at odds with one another.”
“That’s why I’m proud to lead HR 2616, Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act, alongside my friend and colleague and Vice Chair of the Education Workforce Committee, Congressman Burgess Owens. This bill takes monumental strides to restore parental rights and educational sanity.”
“H.R. 2616 affirms the right of parents to be in charge of their children’s upbringing and ensures schools remain partners in a child’s education. Instead of usurping the role and rights of parents altogether, the bill also establishes clear guardrails to ensure taxpayer dollars are used to support learning, not indoctrinate kids in radical ideology and agendas.”
“At its core, this bill is grounded in a simple principle. Mr. Speaker, that principle is parents want what’s best for their kids. Schools should be partners in that effort. I believe members on both sides of the aisle share the goal of helping students succeed. This legislation moves us in that direction by strengthening trust, improving transparency, and keeping the focus where it belongs—on students’ education.”
Watch:
Parents don’t lose their rights at the schoolhouse door.
The Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act restores transparency and puts parents back in the driver’s seat by preventing taxpayer dollars from going toward schools that hide information from families or push… https://t.co/23185uEQa0
— Rep. Tim Walberg (@RepWalberg) May 20, 2026
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