A Democratic New Hampshire state representative responded to a concerned parent who asked him to supports a parents’ rights bill by telling the parent to “shut up.”
The alleged parent in Hopkinton asked Rep. Tommy Hoyt to pass SB 272 without any amendments. SB 272, vehemently opposed by teachers’ unions and leftists, meant to establish parents’ rights to “inspect any instructional material used as part of the educational curriculum for a child within a reasonable period following a request,” “exempt a minor child from immunizations if, in the opinion of a physician, the immunization is detrimental to the child or because of religious beliefs,” “inquire of the school or school personnel and to be truthfully and completely informed if the child is being identified or referred to by school district staff, as being of a gender other than that of which the child was identified or referred when enrolled,” and “the right to inquire of the school or school personnel and to be truthfully and completely informed if any school or school personnel are proceeding with any intervention to affirm or to provide an accommodation of a child’s asserted gender identity when the student’s gender identity is other than that of which the child was identified or referred when enrolled.”
“Aren’t most teachers and school staff also parents?” the parent wrote to Hoyt. “Do you believe that teachers and school staff make better parents than everyone else? Do you believe that most parents are abusive? Have the people who want you to vote against parental rights provided much more than fear to support their position?”
Hoyt fired back, “Do you know why children’s results tanked during COVID. Their parents were incompetent teachers. Do your children a favor, let the teachers teach, and shut up. You’re clearly no professional.”
New Hampshire Democrat Tommy Hoyt tells parent to ‘shut up’ about parents bill of rights https://t.co/LFBSSGcFAv pic.twitter.com/S7qZny3Vhz
— New York Post (@nypost) May 19, 2023
Hoyt later confirmed the authenticity of the message to the NH Journal.
The bill was narrowly defeated on Thursday in the New Hampshire House by a vote of 195-190 morning. House Speaker Sherm Packard launched an investigation into tactics used by the bill’s opponents after the revelation of a free plane ticket promised to fly Rep. Robin Vogt (D-Portsmouth) back from Florida to vote on the bill. “We are looking into the matter, and we are concerned about the appearance of impropriety. Should there be evidence of a statutory or ethical violation, it will be referred to the appropriate enforcement authority,” Packard stated.