[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 219 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 219
Expressing support for developing supportive, inclusive, safe, and
responsive public schools that provide all students with a well-rounded
education and prepare all students for success in life and for the
exercise of their social and economic rights, fostering parental
involvement in education in a manner that builds partnerships and trust
between parents and educators, and protecting the civil rights of
students and families.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 10, 2023
Ms. Bonamici (for herself, Ms. Leger Fernandez, Ms. Jayapal, Ms.
Stevens, Ms. Norton, Ms. Adams, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Ms. Sewell, Mrs.
Hayes, Ms. Jackson Lee, Ms. Blunt Rochester, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Mr.
Courtney, Mr. Sablan, Mr. Takano, Mr. DeSaulnier, Ms. Lee of
California, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Bush, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Chu, Mr. Bowman,
Ms. Jacobs, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Payne, Ms. Crockett, Ms. Pressley, Ms.
Salinas, Ms. Tokuda, and Ms. Brown) submitted the following resolution;
which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing support for developing supportive, inclusive, safe, and
responsive public schools that provide all students with a well-rounded
education and prepare all students for success in life and for the
exercise of their social and economic rights, fostering parental
involvement in education in a manner that builds partnerships and trust
between parents and educators, and protecting the civil rights of
students and families.
Whereas public elementary and secondary education serves a crucial public good
funded through local, State, and Federal funds that should be
administered in a way that provides a free, quality education for
everyone;
Whereas the investment of sufficient resources is necessary to high-functioning,
responsive public elementary and secondary schools;
Whereas public elementary and secondary education has been a cornerstone of
democracy since its inception and provides opportunities for social
mobility and economic empowerment for all students;
Whereas all students benefit from opportunities to learn in diverse, well-funded
elementary and secondary schools alongside peers who have had different
life experiences, speak a different language, practice a different
religion, celebrate different traditions, have a disability, or live in
a family different from their own;
Whereas all students benefit from an education that helps them develop digital,
scientific, mathematical, civic, and other forms of literacy and develop
creative skills, and all students benefit when they gain the skills and
knowledge that will enable them to make good decisions, treat others
with respect, and contribute positively to their community and the
Nation;
Whereas all elementary and secondary students benefit from the opportunity to
receive a comprehensive, well-rounded education that includes the arts
and humanities, which provide their own educational benefit while also
benefitting performance in other subjects;
Whereas a well-rounded education provides all students with the skills and
knowledge they need to contribute to the building of a multiracial,
multiethnic, diverse, and inclusive democracy;
Whereas the opportunity to learn about people with a disability, inclusion of
people with disabilities, and the diversity of disability communities
across race, ethnicity, religion, and other identities supports
education and well-being for young people with disabilities and all
young people;
Whereas all students benefit from the opportunity to receive an elementary and
secondary education that encourages them to understand the history of
the Nation, the difficult and encouraging parts of its history, and its
potential to serve as a model for the world;
Whereas a complete and historically accurate education affirms and validates
diversity and imparts honesty, integrity, and courage in students to
advance the unfinished work of achieving racial and gender equality;
Whereas all elementary and secondary students benefit from the opportunity to
see themselves reflected in educational materials, including in books,
lesson plans, and other materials;
Whereas all elementary and secondary students benefit from attending a school
with an adequate number of school psychologists, counselors, or social
workers to support their mental health and well-being and provide
support during crisis;
Whereas a well-educated populace and equal access to high-quality public
elementary and secondary schools are vital to the functioning of a
representative democracy;
Whereas local, State, and Federal policies include a broad, inclusive definition
of a parent that accounts for students living with another individual or
family member serving as their guardian or caregiver;
Whereas public elementary and secondary schools have been immeasurably enriched
by the advocacy and involvement of parents and community members, and
student learning is best supported by the full involvement of families
in education;
Whereas all parents want and deserve the best for their children, including
safe, affirming, inclusive, and supportive learning environments where
parents are treated with dignity and provided opportunities to engage
with and contribute to their child's school community;
Whereas parents are eager to partner with their children's educators in
collaborative, productive, and meaningful ways;
Whereas providing parents with the opportunity to work in partnership with
educators and school leaders toward the improvement of teaching,
learning, and school leadership is an important part of building and
sustaining excellent schools;
Whereas parents with access to information in a language and format they
understand are better able to contribute to the school community and
support the success of all children;
Whereas parents benefit from access to information about how students in their
child's school are performing in relation to State-set academic and
school climate standards;
Whereas racially, culturally, linguistically, and socioeconomically diverse
parents should be given the opportunity to become meaningfully involved
in a school community and develop close and lasting connections with
educators and school leaders;
Whereas parent involvement is complementary and essential to, not separate from,
the work of educators, support staff members, and school leaders;
Whereas over the years some students and their families have been excluded from
public elementary and secondary schools on the basis of their actual or
perceived race or ethnicity, the languages they speak, whether they have
a disability, actual or perceived LGBTQI+ identity, if they are pregnant
or parenting, if they are a religious minority, or where their family
comes from;
Whereas hostile school environments that discourage families with LGBTQI+
members, multilingual families, families where parents or children have
disabilities, or others from joining in the school environment create
additional barriers to parental involvement;
Whereas parents and other community members with perspectives about the
direction and leadership of an elected or appointed Board of a school
district are encouraged to peacefully and nonviolently exercise their
First Amendment rights to voice those concerns during public Board
meetings;
Whereas all people in the school community benefit from being treated with
respect and dignity, including by the use of their own pronouns and
name;
Whereas all elementary and secondary students benefit from the opportunity to
participate fully and as their whole selves in extracurricular
activities where they can learn about teamwork, persistence, and
competition;
Whereas discrimination against any student or their family under any
circumstance undermines the learning environment for all students and
damages trust between students and educators, educators and families,
and schools and the communities in which they are located;
Whereas age-appropriateness is one important consideration in developing
classroom materials and providing access to reading materials and should
support, not undermine, the opportunity of students to learn about and
celebrate people who are similar to and different from them and their
families;
Whereas censorship and denying students access to books by and about people who
are Black, Indigenous, or other people of color, LGBTQI+, religious
minorities, or members of other marginalized groups, or who are living
at the intersection of these and other identities, undermine the
education of all students, take choices away from all students and their
families, and limit the opportunities of parents, families, and children
to access an education and think critically about the world around them;
Whereas research has shown that all elementary and secondary students benefit
from educators with diverse backgrounds;
Whereas research has shown that all elementary and secondary students benefit
from educators who are adequately prepared, supported by school leaders,
and fairly compensated;
Whereas all students benefit from educators who are culturally competent and
well-trained on diversity, equity, and inclusion principles;
Whereas access to a diversity of educators and age-appropriate reading
materials, including those that feature people with whom they have
differences and share similarities, is critical to learning about the
world and developing a sense of belonging and social responsibility;
Whereas educators who have access to support for their mental and emotional
health better support their students' academic achievement and foster
more positive classroom environments;
Whereas limitations placed on how educators can address topics related to race,
gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity limit their ability to
meet students' educational needs and teach to State academic standards,
while also negatively affecting educators' working conditions and
students' learning conditions; and
Whereas threats against or attacks on educators and school personnel are harmful
to those being threatened or attacked, their families, and the school
community: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes the importance of sufficiently supporting
public elementary and secondary schools so they can provide all
students with a well-rounded education that prepares them for
success in life and provides social mobility and economic
empowerment;
(2) celebrates and encourages the engagement of elementary
and secondary students and their parents in education, and the
collaboration between parents, educators, school leaders, and
community members with the goal of supporting student learning,
growth, and development;
(3) urges the adoption of educational materials by
elementary and secondary schools that are historically
accurate, reflect the powerful diversity of the Nation, and
prepare students to think critically and participate actively
in a multiracial and multiethnic democracy; and
(4) promotes the implementation of practices that reduce
disparities, eliminate discrimination, and make elementary and
secondary schools safer, more inclusive, and more supportive
for all students.
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