Parents your voices were silenced in the Senate Education Committee yesterday but you have one more opportunity to change that.
HB206 required school districts to adopt a policy regarding student participation in non-academic surveys or questionnaires. The original Bill required districts to obtain written consent from parents before they could survey your children on personal information including sexuality, drugs, alcohol, etc.
Parents from across the state wrote the committees and testified in support of this important legislation. Rep. Terry Wolf-R from Bedford watered down the language by removing written parental consent through an amendment in the House.
The watered down version passed the House and moved to the Senate Education Committee where more parents came out to support HB206 but demanded that written consent be added back.
We are sorry to report that in the Senate Education Committee, the entire Bill has been amended to a “study committee.” A study committee is where legislation goes to die.
We encourage you to scroll through one of the invasive surveys that was recently given to students in Bedford. http://www.girardatlarge.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Attitudes-Behaviors-Survey-1.pdf
The State does not have the right to walk into your home and gather information on your family without your consent. Why do they think they have the right to gather information on your family through your children without your consent?
There is still an opportunity to overturn this decision. Write your Senator and then send a copy to all of the senators (Senators@leg.state.nh.us) asking them to vote NO on the Study Committee Amendment and support an amendment that restores written consent to the original Bill.
Tell them it is their duty to uphold parental rights in New Hampshire.
Talking points:
1) VOTE NO on the AMENDMENT to send HB206 to a study Committee
2) Introduce and SUPPORT a floor Amendment that adds written consent to HB206
3) Vote to support HB206 with a floor Amendment that restores written consent
4) Their duty is to uphold our parental rights NOT undermine them