Florida AG introduces ‘Office of Parental Rights' to take on school districts that violate laws
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced his office will start taking on cases involving parental rights violations on behalf of parents during a news conference in Jacksonville on Tuesday.
Uthmeier argued that, despite the state having some of the strongest parental rights laws in the nation, taking a school district to court over alleged violations can be a daunting and expensive task for everyday parents.
'The state needs to be here to help. So, we're creating this new office, we're gonna have a team of litigators focused on fighting the fights that parents bring to us. We still see far too many examples, especially in other states, but also in Florida where parents' rights are being infringed,' Uthmeier said.
The Office of Parental Rights will be tasked with battling school districts in the courts over alleged violations of the state's various parental rights laws - laws that have at times faced staunch criticism for limiting how issues like race and sexuality can be presented in the classroom.
Read: Bill mandating parental consent for STD treatments faces pushback from some Florida Republicans
Uthmeier explained complaints could include inappropriate library books on school shelves, unauthorized medical treatments, failure to inform parents about criminal charges facing school staff, and more.
Stephana Ferrell with the Florida Freedom to Read Project argued Uthmeier's plan could increase lawsuits against districts and cost taxpayers on both ends of the debate.
'They're threatening our underfunded districts with further litigation and at a cost to taxpayers who have decided that they want to properly fund our public schools,' Ferrell said.
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She also argued the Florida Department of Education already has tools at its disposal to ensure districts comply with parental rights laws.
'And so this looks like the next step to bully books off the shelves against the will of the communities that have decided to maintain access to books,' Ferrell said.
But Uthmeier argued as Florida's chief legal officer, he has a responsibility to ensure state laws are followed.
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When we asked about the potential cost to taxpayers that state-led lawsuits targeting school districts could carry, he argued there's no cost to 'fighting for the rights of parents and families'.
'We're certainly not looking to run up costs, but when it comes to fighting the right fights, I'll spend every dollar we have,' Uthmeier said.
Uthmeier also indicated his office plans to work with nonprofits and independent groups to help offset potential litigation costs.
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