Parents could stop their kids from joining extracurricular groups in public schools under a bill that passed today in the state Senate. As The proposed law would give parents veto power in advance.
The proposal would require each school to publish a list of approved student clubs and organizations in a student handbook. Parents could then notify the school if they want to bar their child from belonging to any of the groups.
Opponents have argued that the bill targets student groups like “The Gay-Straight Alliance.” Several such student organizations have demonstrated on Capitol Hill during the past two years.
The Senate added an amendment to say the parental option to prohibit membership must be featured “prominently” in the student handbook. The House is scheduled to vote on the amended version of the bill tomorrow. It is expected to pass easily, given the House approved the original version in mid-March by a vote of 75 to 14.
The bill is SB 2548 Gresham/ HB 2548 Hill.
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