House adopts conference committee report on House Bill 92 clarifying parental rights in K–12 schools

The House adopted joint conference committee number 1 on House Bill 92, a measure addressing parental rights in K–12 schools.

Representative Stiff moved the adoption and explained the conference resolution: the Senate had suggested deleting references to courts and creating a private right of action; the House position was to retain the statute’s applicability to schools while removing the private right of action. The conference report accepted the Senate’s insertion of the term “unemancipated” before “child” and removed the separate provision creating a private right of action, leaving the core parental-rights wording as the House had approved.

Representative Stith and others said the revised language makes explicit that the existing parental rights statute applies to K–12 schools; supporters expressed the expectation that courts would honor the legislature’s plain language intent should legal issues arise. Questions and debate focused on the deleted private right of action and the interplay with court review.

The House approved the conference committee report by roll-call vote, 41 aye, 20 no, 1 excused. By that tally the report was adopted on the House floor.

Ending: With the conference report adopted, the bill’s language clarifying application of parental-rights statute to K–12 moves forward; removal of the private right of action leaves enforcement and remedies subject to existing law and courts.