Opponents also believe this legislation would force schools to spend scarce funding in defense against spiraling parental rights lawsuits. To further address concerns regarding excessive litigation, Senator Grassley proposed an amendment to the Parental Rights and Responsibilities Act that would have required a 90-day period which plaintiffs would table lawsuits and try to resolve differences. Beyond the short-term effects of parental rights legislation, opponents also claim that such legislation could hasten an erosion of support for public education. Rather than encouraging constructive deliberation over school issues, parental rights laws would fuel devisiveness. As a legal foundation for parental control, opponents believe the laws could eventually become a convenient portal to tuition vouchers and other measures that divert support from public schools.
Many schools lack well-developed policies to involve families in meaningful decisions.
Both supporters and opponents of parental rights laws have sounded a cry to balance individual rights with the good of society. While proponents believe the government and its agents have usurped individual liberties, opponents maintain that parental rights legislation would cause serious social disequilibrium infringing upon the interests of children and society. For policy makers, proposals for parental rights legislation will continue to generate difficult questions. Yet the questions themselves may be informative. The parental rights debate will not be resolved easily, but it does call attention to the need for a more cooperative relationship between families and educators.