(The Center Square) – Parental notification when foreign governments or entities provide funding, materials or support to a child’s public school drew opposition Thursday from three North Carolinians in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Reps. Alma Adams, Deborah Ross and Valerie Foushee were in the minority of the 247-166 passage of the TRACE Act. All are Democrats. Rep. Don Davis, R-N.C., was among 33 from his party in support.
No Republicans nationwide opposed the measure. The acronym is for Transparency in Reporting of Adversarial Contributions to Education Act.
“Parents deserve to know who is investing in their schools and what strings might come with that money,” said U.S. Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-N.C. “When foreign entities are involved, there are real consequences if families are kept in the dark. It affects what gets taught, what materials are used, and what values are pushed in front of our kids. Transparency is the bare minimum, and this bill guarantees parents have the information they need to push back if something doesn’t align with their community.”
Specifically, the TRACE Act would require public school districts to disclose curricular materials, donations, agreements, and financial transactions coming from foreign countries or foreign entities of concern. Parents would be able to review upon request. Annually, districts would be required to communicate these rights and expectations to the families.
All 10 Republicans from North Carolina voted yea for the legislation authored by Florida Republican Rep. Aaron Bean.
