Parents Bill of Rights
Rapid

In July 2023, Count on Mothers surveyed 277 mothers across 44 states and a broad range of political ideologies to understand parental views on the Parents Bill of Rights (H.R.5). Mothers responded based on their first-hand experience with public education and family decision-making. The aggregated findings were shared with Congressional legislators to inform deliberations on policies affecting children and families. Overall, mothers across political backgrounds showed strong agreement on many core provisions of the bill, while expressing mixed views on several specific implementation measures.

The public report is available below.
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July 31, 2023
Related themes:

Shared Priorities and Cross-Partisan Alignment Among Mothers

  • Broad cross-partisan participation:
    The survey included mothers from 44 states and across the political spectrum, providing a geographically and ideologically diverse perspective on the Parents Bill of Rights.
  • Strong alignment on parental participation:
    Mothers across political ideologies overwhelmingly agreed that parents should have the right to participate in School Board meetings.
  • Consensus on parental consent for medical care:
    Mothers strongly agreed that parental consent should be required before school employees conduct medical examinations or screenings of children, with timely notification in emergency situations.
  • Variation on implementation details:
    Mothers’ views diverged on four provisions of the bill, including the requirement for a curriculum and book review comment period every three weeks, indicating less consensus on certain operational aspects.
  • Value of lived experience:
    Mothers’ responses reflect their first-hand experiences navigating schools and highlight areas of agreement as well as complexity in how parental rights policies are implemented.

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Methodology
Count on Mothers conducts nationwide surveys and qualitative research with U.S. mothers. Findings are analyzed and reported in aggregate to inform research publications and decision-making related to families.
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