The Fight Over Parental Rights Has Come to Colorado

Across America, parents are demanding greater transparency and a stronger say in their children's education. Colorado is moving in the opposite direction. What began as debates over textbooks and classroom materials now extends to whether parents are notified when their children ask to use a different name at school to reflect a gender identity different from their sex at birth. Parents should not be the last to know about decisions affecting their own children.

A parent should not need an attorney, a public-records request, or hours spent digging through a district website to understand what their child is being taught. Nor should parents be left wondering what policies govern sensitive decisions involving their children, who makes those decisions or when families will be informed. These are basic expectations for institutions entrusted with our children every day.

By the time I was 17, I had lived in 17 homes and attended 14 schools. My childhood was marked by abuse and instability. I know how much a child's future can depend on the decisions of adults entrusted with their care.

That experience shaped my work with vulnerable children and families through All Things Possible Ministries. As a father of five, I also know that parents make difficult decisions every day. They need schools that communicate with them, not institutions that make basic information difficult to obtain.

That is why, as a candidate for governor of Colorado, I have made parental transparency a priority of my education platform. My Parents' Right to Know proposal would give families clearer access to school materials, policies and a process for challenging decisions. Parents should know what schools are required to disclose, when they can expect an answer and what they can do if a concern goes unresolved.

My proposal would require districts to publish curricula, instructional materials, learning objectives, library inventories and district policies in a searchable online format. Parents should have an opportunity to review educational materials before their children encounter them in class. Families deserve that access whether they live in Denver, on the Western Slope or in a small rural community.

And transparency cannot stop at posting documents. If a parent questions a lesson, disputes a policy or asks why a decision was made, there should be a clear point of contact, reasonable response deadlines and a meaningful appeals process. A system that makes it easy to submit a complaint but impossible to get an answer has not solved the problem.

Colorado's 2024 chosen-name law makes the stakes of school communication particularly clear. The law requires schools to honor students' chosen names and adopt written policies, but it does not establish a statewide parental-notification requirement. Families deserve to understand their district's policies, how these decisions are made and what rights they have when concerns arise.

Sensitive circumstances require care. A student may face a genuine risk if particular information is disclosed at home. But difficult cases are a reason to establish understandable standards and appropriate safeguards, not to leave families and educators guessing about the rules. I would seek clearer statewide expectations about parental notification, student safety and the procedures available when disagreements arise.

The debate over protecting children and defining the role of parents extends beyond the classroom. Colorado voters are also considering three distinct measures this November. Proposition 133 would expand the definition of certain child sex trafficking offenses and require life imprisonment without parole for convictions under the proposed law. Proposition 134 would establish sex-based categories for school and collegiate sports. Proposition 135 would prohibit specified surgeries for minors related to perceptions of sex or gender, with exceptions. These measures raise different legal and ethical questions. Voters deserve accurate information about what each measure would change, how it would be enforced and what protections would apply to children and families.

School transparency is also about what educational choices families have. My platform supports expanding school choice, establishing age-appropriate content standards for kindergarten through sixth grade and exploring funding arrangements that better reflect where students attend school. Families have different needs, and parents should have enough information to judge which educational setting serves their child.

None of this requires treating teachers as adversaries. Good teachers work with parents every day. Clear rules and reliable communication can make that relationship easier, not harder. Schools deserve workable standards, and families deserve a fair process when something goes wrong.

A governor cannot rewrite every school policy alone. My proposals would require legislation and cooperation with the State Board of Education and local districts. The priority should be establishing requirements families can actually use and making sure districts follow them. Passing a law means little if parents still cannot get answers.

The debate over parental rights extends far beyond Colorado. How we handle these decisions will help define the relationship between families and public schools for years to come.

Parents deserve clear answers, a meaningful role in their children's education and confidence that their concerns will be heard. Colorado parents cannot afford to go backward.

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