Florida AG launches Office of Parental Rights, lending legal firepower to defend parents' 'God-given right'
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the creation of an Office of Parental Rights in the Sunshine State that will lend legal muscle to help parents fight for the rights they've been granted by God.
Uthmeier pointed out during remarks on Tuesday that "it is not the role of the government to raise kids," but that the role is parents' "God-given right." He said that "parents have the God-given rights to raise their kids the way they deem appropriate."
The attorney general said that there will be a "team of litigators focused on fighting" battles that parents alert them about — he noted that there will be a portal where parents can reach out.
When someone asked about the potential costs, Uthmeier noted that the efforts will also involve working with nonprofits and outside groups.
He indicated that he is not seeking to rack up costs, but noted, "when it comes to fightin' the right fights, I'll spend every dollar we have."
A press release about the effort indicates that Uthmeier's Office of Parental rights can help with a range of cases including, "Denial of access to school records," "Lack of consent for biometric or personal data collection," "Unauthorized healthcare, counseling, or mental health services," "Interference with educational choices," "Failure to notify parents or suspected criminal offenses," "Coercion or encouragement to withhold information," "Objectionable instructional or library materials," "Violations of parental notification for health services," "Restrictions on parental participation in school governance," as well as "Unauthorized data sharing or surveys."
Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon have both cheered on the effort.
"Great initiative that will ensure that Florida's protections for the rights of parents are upheld," the governor said in a post on X.
McMahon noted in a tweet, "Parents have the right to know what's going on in their child's education and to make the decisions. It's great to see a state showing how enforcing parents' rights is a priority without the federal government micromanaging them."
Uthmeier thanked McMahon for her support.
"It's great to have an administration in DC that respects state sovereignty and, most importantly, the rights of parents to direct the upbringing of their children," he noted in a tweet when responding to her comments.
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