On Tuesday, Governor Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire signed two legislation that will offer parents increased choice over the educational opportunities available to their children.
Creating a “Parental Bill of Rights” is the purpose of House Bill 10, which recognizes the “fundamental liberty” that parents have to care for their children.
For religious reasons, it gives parents the ability to opt their children out of receiving health or sexuality education, as well as to provide them with exemptions from immunizations.
In addition, the measure affirms the right of parents to choose whether or not to enroll their children in private, religious, or home schooling, and it grants parents the ability to access the records of their children as well as any educational content that is being taught to them.
As a result of Senate Bill 295, the requirements for education vouchers in the state have been revised. Families who are homeschooling their children or enrolling them in private schools are eligible to receive funding through the Education Freedom Account (EFA) program that is offered by the state.
Only families with an annual income of less than 350 percent of the federal poverty threshold, which is equivalent to $112,525 for a family of four as of this year, were eligible to receive these funds in the past.
SB 295 eliminates this restriction, making it possible for families of all events to submit an application for the stipend.
Every single bill was approved with votes that were almost exactly along party lines. In New Hampshire’s legislature, all of the Democrats were uniform in their opposition to Senate Bill 295. The House Democratic Office referred to the bill as a “handout for millionaires” and stated that it will cost the state more than fifty million dollars.
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Frank Edelblut, the commissioner of education for the state of New Hampshire, stated that the EFA program “has already transformed lives by giving families access to the educational pathways that best fit their children’s needs.”
Additionally, House Democrats voiced their disapproval of House Bill 10, stating that the bill could make it more difficult to protect children who are vulnerable.
On the other hand, Representative Ayotte expressed her satisfaction with the bill, stating that it ensured that “parents are the central voice in their children’s education.”
From the first of July, the parental bill of rights will go into force, and the modifications to the EFA program will go into effect on the ninth of August.
