OC’s Davies Proposes ‘Declaration of the Rights of Parents’ in Council – Orange County Registrar

California lawmakers will soon consider two bills related to school immunizations and other educational issues.

A bill, introduced by an Orange County Republican, would create a “California Parental Rights Declaration” that supporters say would give parents more control over their lives. with their children’s education. Another category, introduced by a San Diego Democrat, would give school administrators easier access to students’ COVID-19 immunization records.

Representative Laurie Davies, R-Laguna Niguel, held a news conference Monday to talk about the “Parents’ Bill of Rights,” which refers to parents having the “right to make decisions about care.” health care” and have a greater say in where their children go to school. and what they were taught.

“It’s every parent’s right to make the decisions they think are best for the health and well-being of their children, not the politicians in Sacramento,” Davies said. opposed regulations on vaccines and masks.

Davies is likely to enter a fight because Democrats have a majority in Sacramento and it will be difficult for Republicans to pass bills unless they get bipartisan support.

Davies’ measure, AB 1785, reiterates existing law and the rights parents already have but also specifies what schools need to do to keep parents involved and informed about those rights. The proposed law, for example, would require a school or school district to post information on its website on various topics, such as immunization requirements, how to check instruction manuals and programs. curriculum and how to opt out of sex education. The bill also proposes that schools provide an annual newsletter “about the nature and purpose of the clubs and activities offered” on campus.

Mari Barke, president of the Orange County Board of Education, was on hand Monday to praise Davies’ bill and talk about parental choices. Barke noted that the county board is tasked with reviewing appeals from students who want to transfer from one district to another but are denied a transfer from their home district. The board, which is run by a conservative majority that favors charter schools, also considers appeals to charter market petitions after they were rejected by their home school district.

“We strive to respect school choice and parental choice by overturning charter school appeals and transferring schools between school districts,” says Barke. “We don’t feel any child is restricted by their ZIP code, and we know that parents always make the best decisions for their children, not the school district.”

The Orange County Board of Education is pending a lawsuit against Governor Gavin Newsom over what board members allege he abused emergency executive powers that led to pandemic-related mandates. .

On Friday, February 4, the same day Davies introduced AB 1785, Councilmember Akilah Weber, D-San Diego, introduced AB 1797, making it easy for school officials to access and verify vaccine status Student COVID-19

The bill would update the existing California Immunization Registry, described as a secure, confidential database managed by the California Department of Public Health. (Currently, school district officials do not have access to verifying a student’s COVID-19 status.) The measure would also require physicians to report COVID data to the registry, and at the same time. Race and ethnicity data collection.

“If we want all of our schools to be healthy, we must recognize that vaccine status is an indicator of whether families have access to care. ” Weber, a physician, said in a statement. “AB 1797 will help public health leaders at all levels work harder to ensure that we are creating a healthy California for all.”

The bill was co-authored by another physician, Senator Richard Pan, D-Sacramento of the state: “If we want to keep schools open and safe, we can’t just ask for vaccines.” .

California students in both public and private schools will be required to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in order to attend school in person Authorization issued by Newsom last year. Pan was introduced recently The law forbids a family from requesting a personal religious exemption to perform vaccination duties.