IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 219 

Expressing support for developing supportive, inclusive, safe, and responsive 

public schools that provide all students with a well-rounded education 

and prepare all students for success in life and for the exercise of 

their social and economic rights, fostering parental involvement in education in a manner that builds partnerships and trust between parents 

and educators, and protecting the civil rights of students and families. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 10, 2023 

Ms. BONAMICI (for herself, Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ, Ms. JAYAPAL, Ms. STEVENS, Ms. NORTON, Ms. ADAMS, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Ms. SEWELL, 

Mrs. HAYES, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Ms. OCASIOCORTEZ, Mr. COURTNEY, Mr. SABLAN, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. DESAULNIER, 

Ms. LEE of California, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. BUSH, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. 

CHU, Mr. BOWMAN, Ms. JACOBS, Ms. TLAIB, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. CROCKETT, Ms. PRESSLEY, Ms. SALINAS, Ms. TOKUDA, and Ms. BROWN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 

Education and the Workforce 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing support for developing supportive, inclusive, safe, 

and responsive public schools that provide all students 

with a well-rounded education and prepare all students 

for success in life and for the exercise of their social 

and economic rights, fostering parental involvement in 

education in a manner that builds partnerships and trust 

between parents and educators, and protecting the civil 

rights of students and families. 


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•HRES 219 IH 

Whereas public elementary and secondary education serves a 

crucial public good funded through local, State, and Federal funds that should be administered in a way that provides a free, quality education for everyone; 

Whereas the investment of sufficient resources is necessary to 

high-functioning, responsive public elementary and secondary schools; 

Whereas public elementary and secondary education has been 

a cornerstone of democracy since its inception and provides opportunities for social mobility and economic empowerment for all students; 

Whereas all students benefit from opportunities to learn in 

diverse, well-funded elementary and secondary schools 

alongside peers who have had different life experiences, 

speak a different language, practice a different religion, 

celebrate different traditions, have a disability, or live in 

a family different from their own; 

Whereas all students benefit from an education that helps 

them develop digital, scientific, mathematical, civic, and 

other forms of literacy and develop creative skills, and all 

students benefit when they gain the skills and knowledge 

that will enable them to make good decisions, treat others 

with respect, and contribute positively to their community 

and the Nation; 

Whereas all elementary and secondary students benefit from 

the opportunity to receive a comprehensive, well-rounded 

education that includes the arts and humanities, which 

provide their own educational benefit while also benefitting performance in other subjects; 

Whereas a well-rounded education provides all students with 

the skills and knowledge they need to contribute to the 


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•HRES 219 IH 

building of a multiracial, multiethnic, diverse, and inclusive democracy; 

Whereas the opportunity to learn about people with a disability, inclusion of people with disabilities, and the diversity of disability communities across race, ethnicity, religion, and other identities supports education and wellbeing for young people with disabilities and all young 

people; 

Whereas all students benefit from the opportunity to receive 

an elementary and secondary education that encourages 

them to understand the history of the Nation, the difficult and encouraging parts of its history, and its potential to serve as a model for the world; 

Whereas a complete and historically accurate education affirms and validates diversity and imparts honesty, integrity, and courage in students to advance the unfinished 

work of achieving racial and gender equality; 

Whereas all elementary and secondary students benefit from 

the opportunity to see themselves reflected in educational 

materials, including in books, lesson plans, and other materials; 

Whereas all elementary and secondary students benefit from 

attending a school with an adequate number of school 

psychologists, counselors, or social workers to support 

their mental health and well-being and provide support 

during crisis; 

Whereas a well-educated populace and equal access to highquality public elementary and secondary schools are vital 

to the functioning of a representative democracy; 

Whereas local, State, and Federal policies include a broad, inclusive definition of a parent that accounts for students 


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•HRES 219 IH 

living with another individual or family member serving 

as their guardian or caregiver; 

Whereas public elementary and secondary schools have been 

immeasurably enriched by the advocacy and involvement 

of parents and community members, and student learning is best supported by the full involvement of families 

in education; 

Whereas all parents want and deserve the best for their children, including safe, affirming, inclusive, and supportive 

learning environments where parents are treated with 

dignity and provided opportunities to engage with and 

contribute to their child’s school community; 

Whereas parents are eager to partner with their children’s 

educators in collaborative, productive, and meaningful 

ways; 

Whereas providing parents with the opportunity to work in 

partnership with educators and school leaders toward the 

improvement of teaching, learning, and school leadership 

is an important part of building and sustaining excellent 

schools; 

Whereas parents with access to information in a language 

and format they understand are better able to contribute 

to the school community and support the success of all 

children; 

Whereas parents benefit from access to information about 

how students in their child’s school are performing in relation to State-set academic and school climate standards; 

Whereas racially, culturally, linguistically, and 

socioeconomically diverse parents should be given the opportunity to become meaningfully involved in a school 


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community and develop close and lasting connections 

with educators and school leaders; 

Whereas parent involvement is complementary and essential 

to, not separate from, the work of educators, support 

staff members, and school leaders; 

Whereas over the years some students and their families have 

been excluded from public elementary and secondary 

schools on the basis of their actual or perceived race or 

ethnicity, the languages they speak, whether they have a 

disability, actual or perceived LGBTQI+ identity, if they 

are pregnant or parenting, if they are a religious minority, or where their family comes from; 

Whereas hostile school environments that discourage families 

with LGBTQI+ members, multilingual families, families 

where parents or children have disabilities, or others from 

joining in the school environment create additional barriers to parental involvement; 

Whereas parents and other community members with perspectives about the direction and leadership of an elected 

or appointed Board of a school district are encouraged to 

peacefully and nonviolently exercise their First Amendment rights to voice those concerns during public Board 

meetings; 

Whereas all people in the school community benefit from 

being treated with respect and dignity, including by the 

use of their own pronouns and name; 

Whereas all elementary and secondary students benefit from 

the opportunity to participate fully and as their whole 

selves in extracurricular activities where they can learn 

about teamwork, persistence, and competition; 


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Whereas discrimination against any student or their family 

under any circumstance undermines the learning environment for all students and damages trust between students and educators, educators and families, and schools 

and the communities in which they are located; 

Whereas age-appropriateness is one important consideration 

in developing classroom materials and providing access to 

reading materials and should support, not undermine, the 

opportunity of students to learn about and celebrate people who are similar to and different from them and their 

families; 

Whereas censorship and denying students access to books by 

and about people who are Black, Indigenous, or other 

people of color, LGBTQI+, religious minorities, or members of other marginalized groups, or who are living at 

the intersection of these and other identities, undermine 

the education of all students, take choices away from all 

students and their families, and limit the opportunities of 

parents, families, and children to access an education and 

think critically about the world around them; 

Whereas research has shown that all elementary and secondary students benefit from educators with diverse 

backgrounds; 

Whereas research has shown that all elementary and secondary students benefit from educators who are adequately prepared, supported by school leaders, and fairly 

compensated; 

Whereas all students benefit from educators who are culturally competent and well-trained on diversity, equity, 

and inclusion principles; 


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Whereas access to a diversity of educators and age-appropriate reading materials, including those that feature 

people with whom they have differences and share similarities, is critical to learning about the world and developing a sense of belonging and social responsibility; 

Whereas educators who have access to support for their mental and emotional health better support their students’ 

academic achievement and foster more positive classroom 

environments; 

Whereas limitations placed on how educators can address 

topics related to race, gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity limit their ability to meet students’ educational needs and teach to State academic standards, 

while also negatively affecting educators’ working conditions and students’ learning conditions; and 

Whereas threats against or attacks on educators and school 

personnel are harmful to those being threatened or attacked, their families, and the school community: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes the importance of sufficiently 

3 supporting public elementary and secondary schools 

4 so they can provide all students with a well-rounded 

5 education that prepares them for success in life and 

6 provides social mobility and economic empowerment; 

7 (2) celebrates and encourages the engagement 

8 of elementary and secondary students and their par9 ents in education, and the collaboration between par10 ents, educators, school leaders, and community 


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1 members with the goal of supporting student learn2 ing, growth, and development; 

3 (3) urges the adoption of educational materials 

4 by elementary and secondary schools that are his5 torically accurate, reflect the powerful diversity of 

6 the Nation, and prepare students to think critically 

7 and participate actively in a multiracial and multi8 ethnic democracy; and 

9 (4) promotes the implementation of practices 

10 that reduce disparities, eliminate discrimination, and 

11 make elementary and secondary schools safer, more 

12 inclusive, and more supportive for all students. 

Æ 


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