Protect Parental Rights: Support HB281 for School-Based Mental Health Transparency
Call to Action: Protect Your Rights as a Parent!
Contact member of the Senate Education Committee and ask them to vote yes on HB281
This bill strengthens parental involvement in school-based mental health services, ensuring you’re informed and have a say in your child’s care.
✅ Call text or email committee members and ask them to VOTE YES on HB281 before 4 PM!
✅ Share this with other parents—every voice matters!
Let’s ensure parents stay informed and actively involved in their children’s education and mental health. Thank you for your support!
This bill strengthens parental involvement in school-based mental health services, ensuring you’re informed and have a say in your child’s care.
✅ Call text or email committee members and ask them to VOTE YES on HB281 before 4 PM!
✅ Share this with other parents—every voice matters!
Let’s ensure parents stay informed and actively involved in their children’s education and mental health. Thank you for your support!
Senate Education Committee
|
Lincoln Fillmore
Chris H. Wilson Michael K. McKell Heidi Balderree David P. Hinkins John D. Johnson Kathleen A. Riebe |
385-831-8902
435-770-2861 801-210-1495 385-910-3237 435-749-2828 385-272-7428 801-599-5753 |
Why HB281 Matters for Utah Parents:
House Bill 281 (HB281) is a critical piece of legislation designed to protect parental rights in school-based mental health therapy. As more schools provide therapy services to students, parents must remain informed and involved in their child’s mental health care.
This bill creates clear safeguards to ensure that parents have full control over their child’s therapy in schools. Unfortunately, powerful mental health groups are pushing to weaken the bill, allowing schools to notify parents only if they opt in—meaning you might never know what’s happening with your child. Parents would only receive updates if they specifically request them. Parental involvement should be the default - never opt-in!
HB281 establishes three essential protections to ensure parental involvement in school-based mental health therapy:
House Bill 281 (HB281) is a critical piece of legislation designed to protect parental rights in school-based mental health therapy. As more schools provide therapy services to students, parents must remain informed and involved in their child’s mental health care.
This bill creates clear safeguards to ensure that parents have full control over their child’s therapy in schools. Unfortunately, powerful mental health groups are pushing to weaken the bill, allowing schools to notify parents only if they opt in—meaning you might never know what’s happening with your child. Parents would only receive updates if they specifically request them. Parental involvement should be the default - never opt-in!
HB281 establishes three essential protections to ensure parental involvement in school-based mental health therapy:
- Parental Consent for Therapy
- Before a school counselor or therapist can provide mental health therapy, parents must give explicit consent.
- The bill clearly defines therapy, ensuring that school counseling does not cross into therapy without parental approval.
- Why this matters: Without this requirement, children could receive therapy at school without their parents even knowing, leaving families in the dark about critical mental health concerns.
- Parental Oversight on Therapy Topics
- Parents can set boundaries on what topics can and cannot be addressed in school therapy sessions.
- If a therapist believes a sensitive topic should be discussed, they must consult the parent first.
- Why this matters: Parents know their child best. They should have a say in what mental health discussions take place at school and ensure that sensitive issues are handled in alignment with their family’s values.
- Mandatory Parental Notification
- Schools must notify parents every time their child attends a therapy session.
- Mental health groups want to weaken this provision by making parental notification opt-in, meaning parents only receive updates if they request them.
- HB281 ensures that notification is automatic, keeping parents fully informed about their child’s mental health care.
- Why this matters: Without automatic notifications, parents may never know when their child is in therapy, what was discussed, or if there are serious concerns like suicidal thoughts or gender identity discussions. Parental involvement should not be optional—it should be the standard.