Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chair, parents have a fundamental right to know what their children are being taught, and it should not depend on how rich or poor they are. The amendment under consideration would strike the phrase ``at no cost'' from the clause stating that parents have the right to review and make copies of curricula. In other words, this amendment would allow schools to charge parents for copies of what their children are being taught. On principle, that is a terrible idea. Republicans believe that every parent, no matter how much money they have, should be free to know what their child is being taught. This amendment is also terrible policy. Under the provision, schools could charge every parent exorbitant amounts for copying curricula and effectively make it impossible for parents to access the curriculum of their children. We know that schools can use cost as a weapon to keep curriculum a secret. I spoke earlier about a Rhode Island mother of two, Nicole Solas, who became concerned that her child's school was teaching radical leftist ideology. She asked for the school's curriculum but was persistently stonewalled and told to file public records requests. She did, and the school hit her with a $75,000 bill. That kind of conduct is outrageous. No parent should have to pay $75,000 to learn what their child is being taught. Just the threat of this kind of a bill has a chilling effect on other parents.…”