HALL MONITOR: “YES” on Parental Rights in Wyoming Schools (SF 9)

Name: Wyoming SF 9, Parental Rights in Education

Summary: SF 9 would ensure parents have access to information about their child’s health at school. Parents must consent to healthcare offered to their child.  

Status: Passed the Senate and sent to the House on February 19, 2024

Sponsor: The House Education Committee is sponsoring the bill.

Bill Breakdown: 

SF 9 would protect parents’ rights to make decisions regarding their child’s health and wellbeing, and prohibit any policies that encourage students to withhold information about their health and wellbeing from their parents. 

The bill requires schools to notify parents if there is a change in their child’s physical, emotional, or mental health. It also requires schools to allow parents to access the files the school maintains regarding their child’s academics and health. The bill also requires schools to disclose the health services offered by the school at the beginning of each school year. Parents would be allowed to opt out of any specific healthcare service offered by the school and to view the content of any mental health screening or questionnaire implemented by the school.

Finally, the bill requires schools to implement a system to process parental complaints should they feel these policies have been violated, up to and including judicial review.

Why does PDE Action support this bill? 

Parents, not schools, are the first and foremost caretakers of their children. Parents must have knowledge of and consent to any health care offered to their children, and schools should not keep information about students’ wellbeing hidden from their parents. Government entities, including schools, should not make decisions about a child without the knowledge and consent of able parents. SF 9 protects parents’ rights to direct the care and upbringing of their children.