Georgia school teachers and counselors will continue to have free rein to talk to students about gender and gender identity issues without having to notify parents.
In a setback to supporters of parental rights, lawmakers missed the opportunity to advance, SB 88, also known as the Parents and Children Protection Act of 2023. The measure would restrict the ability of Georgia school teachers and counselors to discuss gender issues without parental oversight.
“If you’re going to talk gender to a child under 16 years old, you need to notify the parent or guardian and let them understand what the curriculum is about,” State Senator Carden Summers (R-Cordele) said in an August hearing of the Senate Education and Youth Committee hearing. Summers is a sponsor of the bill.
After several changes to the bill by the Education and Youth Committee, SB 88 was passed on to the rules committee but failed to move forward to the Senate in time for the Crossover Day legislation deadline last week. The purpose of the bill was to ensure that teachers and counselors would have to notify parents and guardians about any discussions on gender or issues regarding gender identity for children under 16 years of age.
For private schools, the bill would “prohibit the implementation of curriculum or instruction relating to gender identity, queer 4 theory, gender ideology, or gender transition” without parental consent and allow parents and guardians access to inspect curriculum and educational materials.
Additionally, public schools would be required to create policies for school personnel about “parental involvement and child privacy on issues of gender identity and gender transition” and guidance for providing “parental notification of any discussion of gender identity or gender transition initiated by school personnel.”
Summers said at the summer hearing, “It is not your job to discuss gender with a child,” adding that “it is the parent or guardian’s position to do that or a professional.”
Opponents have called SB 88 another “Don’t Say Gay” bill, the term used to describe Florida’s Parental Rights in Education legislation signed by DeSantis in 2022, preventing “classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in certain grade levels.”
In response to critics using “Don’t Say Gay” to describe the proposed legislation, Summers said, “Nothing could be further from the truth” and that there was “nothing to do with your gender or sexual persuasion in this bill, zero.”
The Senate Education and Youth Committee worked on several revisions of the proposed legislation to defend the rights of parents. Senator Summers stated, “It’s not the responsibility of the person in charge to teach these kids what they feel is right when it comes to gender.”
SB 88 would put parents and guardians in charge of their child’s education, especially concerning gender and gender identity.
Georgia parents will have to wait until the next legislative session to see if the bill is brought forward again.
– – –
Debra McClure is a reporter at The Georgia Star News and The Star News Network. Follow Debra on X / Twitter
