Parents’ Rights Surrounding Education Are Part Of Md. House GOP Caucus Agenda

Maryland House Republicans are putting forth legislation in 2022 focused on tax relief, limited government, and parental rights surrounding their children’s education.

Delegate Jeff Ghrist, R-Caroline County is lead sponsor of the “Right to Learn Act of 2022.” According to the legislation:

families of children in schools with two consecutive years of rating two stars or less on the Maryland School Report Card from the State Department of Education will be eligible to receive their jurisdiction’s per pupil spending amount under an Education Savings account to cover qualified expenses used to pursue alternative education options including homeschooling, private school, charter school, or another non-failing public school.

“Recent reports detailing declining enrollment numbers in Maryland’s public schools are confirming what we already know – that despite massive investments of taxpayer dollars, Maryland’s public schools are struggling to meet the educational needs of our students,” Ghrist said. “Forcing children to continue attending failing schools while we wait for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future to magically solve all of these problems over the next decade is not an option. Today’s students need options. Parents need the flexibility to move their child into an educational environment where they can thrive, and their choices should not be limited because of their financial circumstances.”

Another bill would require each public school in Maryland to post online all curriculum and instructional materials, points of contact and ways to get in touch with the local board of education and the state department of education.
Each school board would also be required to report the number of complaints about subject matter to the state board, which would submit those numbers to the General Assembly.

Other bills highlighted by Maryland House Republicans Thursday center around balancing powers involving states of emergencies and setting up an appeals process regarding actions and decisions made by local health officials.

To watch a Facebook Live video of the Maryland House GOP’s Thursday Zoom conference, please CLICK HERE