Parental Bill of Rights Policy Passes
Caption above: Shawn Hyland addresses the Colts Neck School Board, expressing the New Jersey Family Policy Center’s support for their adoption of the Parental Bill of Rights. (Photo credit: Thomas P. Costello, Asbury Park Press)
I was there Wednesday night when the Colts Neck Board of Education voted unanimously to affirm that parents matter, and that their rights will be honored, respected, and upheld in public education – no matter the cost.
Despite pressure from outside left-wing advocacy groups who circulated misleading letters in an attempt to intimidate the board into reversing course, the members of the Colts Neck School Board stood firm. They listened carefully, engaged in thoughtful dialogue, and made it clear – in Colts Neck, parental rights are not a talking point, they are public policy.
As I shared in my testimony before the board (click here): parents are not the problem. It is both unethical and dangerous to suggest that parents have no right to know what curriculum is being taught, or what health decisions their child is making at school.
Tragically, some do advocate for that extreme position. I witnessed it firsthand at the meeting.
Let’s be clear, the Colts Neck Parent’s Bill of Rights does not create new rights, it simply recognizes and organizes existing rights upheld under Federal laws.
Parents have a right to access student records and can inquire and receive truthful and to the extent known information about their child’s gender identity.
Parents have a right to consent to or decline any mental or physical health services offered through the school, including counseling groups and mentoring programs.
Parents have a right to opt their children out of health and sex education.
Parents have the right to opt their children out of lessons that contradict their values or religious beliefs.
Parents have a right to safe, secure schools and for information about those safeguards.
Parents have a right to protect their children’s personal information — like gender identity, religious affiliation and sexual orientation — from research surveys and third-party software.
I’m excited to share that in January 2026, we’ll be convening a statewide school board summit in Colts Neck to equip active board members from across New Jersey with practical tools and insights. This gathering will highlight how they can leverage the Colts Neck Board of Education’s experience, implement template policies effectively, and build winning strategies for local elections.
