The New Hampshire Legislature put several pro-women, pro-child, and pro-parent bills on Governor Chris Sununun’s desk this session. This is an accomplishment, given the razor-thin Republican majority, participation (attendance) issues inherent in a true citizen legislature, and defections on key bills.
We always want and expect more, but then we must. Expectations matter, and there were few of them regarding this legislation getting past Mr. Sununu. He is pro-abortion, signed a bathroom bill a few years back, has a diversity and inclusion committee (he should have disbanded or asked the legislature to dissolve -whatever law allowed or required), and is a regular North Eastern Republican cultural moderate. Wins in this arena are unlikely, but we notched a few – despite Sununu’s muppet defections meant to keep bills away from his desk (or put them there, as the case may be, like the RTK tax).
Yesterday, we announced the signing into law of a partial genital surgery ban (HB619). It prohibits bottom surgery on minors. I am led to believe it would NOT have been signed if top surgery were included. Take the win.
The damn emperor (hat tip Julie Smith) also signed HB1205. This bill requires schools to designate athletics by sex and prohibits biological males from participating in female athletics. MIxed “sex” teams are not affected, but girls’ school sports have been protected for the time being as the law takes effect before the fall sessions begin.
As per the headline, Mr. Sununu also signed HB1312. This expands existing parental notification laws to include sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or gender expression.
The policy shall also require the school district or classroom teacher to provide parents and legal guardians not less than 2 weeks advance notice of any curriculum course material used for instruction or program of human sexuality, [
or] human sexual education, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or gender expression. The policy shall address the method of delivering notification to a parent or legal guardian. The policy shall also acknowledge that no notice is required if a school employee is responding to a question from a student during class. [To the extent practicable,] A school district shall make curriculum course materials available to parents or legal guardians for review upon request. The name of the parent or legal guardian and any specific reasons disclosed to school officials for the objection to the material shall not be public information and shall be excluded from access under RSA 91-A.
Concern over hidden gender-focused curriculum has now become a matter of law. Educators carrying cultural Marxist water are to notify parents far enough in advance to allow them to opt their child out. But? It’s not a ban. Many parents will likely never see the notice. Kids who are not learning to read or do math to grade level will still be exposed to this waste of time, but by law, somebody might know about it. It is to be communicated to parents, and there are plenty of parents who pay attention. But it has no teeth.
There is no punishment for ignoring the law, which is potentially the only reason it was signed. You must do this, but there are no legal consequences if you don’t. No officer of the law or the court will come knocking. But we will. The ‘Grok will publish notifications of upcoming curricula identifying schools and classrooms where resources are being wasted on crap while students struggle to become literate.
We will share your stories about “lessons” on DEI, LGBTQ, the 1618 project, or whatever the law requires be reported, and with particular interest when the discovery happens after the lesson where no notice was provided.
Teachers and schools are bold. Some are defiant. A few will bask in the praise for their dissidence. The glory of their archetypal education insurrection will be applauded by like-minded educators who know better than parents what is best for their children. Most will not.
One more bit on HB1312.
2 New Paragraph; Parental Notification of Changes in Student Mental Well-Being. Amend RSA 186:11 by inserting after paragraph IX-d the following new paragraph:
IX-e. Require School Districts to Adopt a Policy on Parental Notification of Changes in Student’s Mental and Emotional Well-Being, or Related Services. A school district may not adopt policies, procedures or student support forms that prohibit school district personnel from answering questions from a parent about his or her student’s mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being, sexuality, or a change in related services or monitoring, or that encourage or have the effect of encouraging a student to withhold from a parent such information. School district personnel may not discourage or prohibit parental notification of and involvement in critical decisions affecting a student’s mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being. This paragraph does not prohibit a school district from adopting procedures that permit school personnel to withhold such information from a parent if a reasonably prudent person would believe that disclosure would result in abuse, abandonment, or neglect pursuant to RSA 169-C:3.
Again, there are no teeth, but it is a chaptered law. Teeth can be added, and in the interim, we’re here to help.
