# Plain Language Summary: Parental Oversight and Educational Transparency Act

This bill would require schools to get written permission from parents before students can participate in certain school activities. Right now, schools typically just notify parents about these activities, but this bill goes a step further by requiring schools to actually get a parent's signed consent. Schools would need to send this notification at least two weeks before the activity happens, giving parents time to review what their child will be doing and decide whether they want them to participate.

The bill modifies an existing federal education law that already requires schools to notify parents about certain student activities. The change essentially adds a permission slip requirement on top of the current notification system. While the bill text doesn't specify exactly which activities would require this written consent, it references activities that are already covered under current federal law—these typically include things like surveys, psychological testing, or other activities that collect personal information about students.

The practical effect would be that parents get more direct control over their children's participation in these activities. Instead of just being informed that something is happening, parents would need to actively opt their child in by signing and returning a form. Schools would need to manage this paperwork and keep track of which students have permission to participate. For parents, this means more involvement in school decisions, though it also creates an additional administrative burden for schools to track and verify consent before each activity.

Parental Oversight and Educational Transparency Act

Hageman, Harriet M.

Parental Oversight and Educational Transparency ActThis bill requires local educational agencies (LEAs) to provide additional notification to, and receive written consent from, parents of students regarding certain school activities that relate to students' privacy.&nbsp;Under current law, an LEA must annually notify parents of the specific or approximate dates during the school year when specified activities involving information collection, surveys, and screenings are scheduled or expected to be scheduled.In addition to this required notification, the bill requires an LEA to directly notify a student's parent 14 days before the scheduled activity and receive written consent from the parent in order for the student to participate in the activity.