Parents’ Bill of Rights In Need of Support

By Missouri State Rep. Cynthia Davis

Does it really take a village to raise a child?  The answer depends on who is in charge of the children.  Missouri has some villages where the state picks up a lot of the ‘slack.’  The state has the power to terminate parental rights, but the state never expressly states what those rights are.  Without anything in our state statutes, there is no guidance on what rights are being lost or gained. Through bad legislation, parents could see their rights erode away to the point where they only have the responsibility to finance the rearing of their children, but few rights to make decisions.

House Bill 1316 (HB 1316) is designed to articulate those rights by concisely stating that, “It is the natural and fundamental right of parents to direct the care, healthcare, teaching and education of their children.” While this sounds very obvious, judging from the mail I have received from the opposition, many people think that parents are not smart enough to do this.

The healthcare right of this bill deals with the overreaching efforts on the part of some agencies to offer our children prescription drugs without parental knowledge.  For example, in Maine, a school board made the decision to offer prescription contraceptives to girls as young as 11-years old without parental knowledge.

If parents are required to pay for all of their children’s medical costs, how can we let others put drugs into their bodies without our consent?  If we can get this part of the bill passed, it will go a long way toward shoring up the role of parents as being the guardians of their children’s health.

The second part of this bill addresses education.  Many see education as being the responsibility of the parents with the assistance of formal schools.  Children who come from these kinds of homes do much better in school because they view the responsibility for success in life as being dependent on the family, not an institution.  In areas where the students are struggling, this philosophy is turned around.  In areas where the parents expect the schools to do all of the educating without parental involvement, their success is compromised.  There is a limit to what schools can do.

My bill takes it one step further if parents provide for their children’s education through private or homeschools.  In that case, my bill allows them to receive a tax credit, up to the amount they owe, off the portion of their real estate taxes that would have gone to their local school district.  The theory behind this is that the parents have already satisfied their obligation to spend that amount of money on education.  This is a real win-win situation.  The local school district saves thousands of dollars by not having to educate a child. The State of Missouri saves thousands of dollars by not having to contribute its portion.  The family receives some relief from their tax burden to reward them for the tuition or homeschool curriculum. The biggest winner is the student who gets an education based upon what is in his or her best interest.

Some people have the false notion that people who choose to place their children in a private school are all wealthy.  This is not true.  One of my good friends cleaned houses so that she could afford to send her children to a school that would uphold their family values and teach them Christianity from a positive perspective.  People have many different reasons for choosing alternatives for the education of their children.  Whenever they do so, they need to be applauded and respected.

Millions of dollars each year are doled out in tax credits, but most of these go to big businesses.  Even the public schools are receiving an extra 1.2 billion dollars above and beyond what the state is obligated to give them.   When I offered this proposal to allow an honest tax credit to John Q. Average Citizen, suddenly there was an uproar.  The real estate tax credit is the most direct tax relief.  In most cases it will be less than half of the tuition, but it is philosophically congruent with the purpose of the tax.  And often, a credit as small as a few hundred dollars can be enough to make a difference in a family budget.

Here are two letters that express some of the opposition to the Parents’ Bill of Rights:

Good and bad in one bill

“State Rep. Cynthia Davis, R-O’Fallon, Mo., introduced House Bill 1316, which addresses two different subjects. One concerns children under the age of 18 receiving prescription drugs without parental permission or knowledge; the other is another form of school vouchers, but worded differently.

A school board in Portland, Maine, refers students, with parental permission, to a clinic for medical services. The services are diverse but can include prescribing birth control. Because some students in these schools have had unintended pregnancies, the school board decided there was a need for this service. The problem arises that without the minor’s consent, the parents cannot be told that their children are taking a prescription drug, even though the parents gave permission for the children to go to the clinic. Many of us find this objectionable.

The other part of the bill is about taking tax money from the public schools and giving it to parents who choose to not use these schools. The bill would allow such parents to request reimbursement of a portion of the real estate taxes paid to the county of residence by a parent or legal guardian.

Our country already is behind other industrialized nations in math and science. Now Ms. Davis wants to take money out of our public schools and give it to schools that may teach intelligent design instead of evolution.” (This letter was published in the St. Louis Post Dispatch.)

Against Bill

“I am very opposed to the amendment [sic], as it reads…The average parent in the U.S. does not have the education, themselves, to provide their children with a quality education…Number 2 of this amendment states that parent’s rights to make health care decisions for their child supersedes the state’s rights…Your amendment allows parents to martyr their children for their beliefs. As a health care provider, I find this horrifying…” (These comments were received via e-mail.)

My response

My response, below, was published in the St. Louis Post Dispatch on Jan. 8, 2008.

Fair taxes, for the children
“I appreciate attention given my ‘Parents Bill of Rights,’ but it is surprising that people can argue against a fair tax system, especially when it concerns fairness to children. We have one goal in mind: taking care of children. To that end, it is only right that we find ways to help parents do what is in the best interest of their child. This may be a different choice for each child for each school year.

Some teachers’ organizations seem to feel insulted when a child or parent chooses education outside public school, but they should not take it personally. We all have differing learning styles, personalities and logistics, so we should have more options to create the very best learning environment.

Now a parent whose child is educated in an alternative learning environment has saved the school district the cost of educating that child. The parents of that child pay local taxes for which their child receives no benefit, and the parents are denied the portion of funding for education that would have come from the state. This is not fair to the parents or the child.

Why wouldn’t we want a fairer and more balanced system of educating our children? Our youth are our future. We all benefit when their greatest intellectual talents are developed and they are well-educated. It’s time for us to focus on helping them instead of bickering over who will do it.” State Rep. Cynthia Davis, R-O’Fallon, MO.

The Tug-of-War

We have all read newspaper articles about some parents who abused or neglected children.  However, this creates a perception that many parents are not very good. Most parents deserve more respect than that.  There have always been both good and bad parents.  Why should we pass laws that only serve the lowest common denominator?  We need to start with the expectation that parents want the best for their children.  Missouri is a very freedom loving state.  Freedom includes the right to raise your children.  If you would like to read the text of my bill you can look it up online at:  www.house.mo.gov.  In the bill search field, type in HB1316.

Now the tug-of-war begins.  These types of bills do not get passed into law without a groundswell of input from citizens.  While most legislators may not care about the provisions of this bill, most legislators do care about what their constituents think. Your input to your legislator is vital to the success of this bill. Without hearing from you, your elected representative may get the impression that the only people who care about these ideas are those who are trying to thwart them.  At the hearing the list of opposition included Planned Parenthood, (NARAL) National Abortion Rights Action League, (NEA) National Educators Association and MSTA (Missouri State Teachers Association).  With your help and your involvement, we can see real change in the way Missouri views parents.

Publisher’s Comment

Folks, we need to support Representative Davis’ HB 1316 and that means flooding your state representative’s office with phone calls, letters and, if possible, personal visits! Representative Cynthia Davis (R-O’Fallon, MO) may be reached via email at Cynthia.Davis@house.mo.gov; by phone at (573) 751-9768; or by writing her at: State Representative Cynthia Davis, 201 West Capitol Avenue, Room 112, Jefferson City, MO 65101. If you do not know who your State Rep. or State Senator are then visit our website at www.metrovoice.net. On our website you’ll find a link to both the Missouri House of Representatives and Missouri Senate sites where you can find out who they are and how to contact them.