(COLUMBIA, S.C.) - Attorney General Alan Wilson today released the 2025–2026 Parental Rights Guide, equipping parents with key federal, state, and local laws. Last week, a federal court ruling allowed bathroom access to a transgender student in violation of a South Carolina law. The office is currently examining the next steps in its appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. There were also reports of an incident involving an elementary school teacher in Dorchester County who was placed on administrative leave for posting disturbing, violent art on social media. Just days into the new school year, these incidents are a powerful reminder of the problems facing our schools today.
Attorney General Wilson is fully committed to using the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office to lead the fight to protect children and parental rights. Parents are key partners in this fight and will always be the last and best line of defense for their children. To further this partnership, Attorney General Wilson is encouraging parents, students, teachers, and school administrators to remember several key parental rights under South Carolina law and federal law as the school year progresses.
- Right to Be Involved: Parents are the cornerstone and foundation of their child’s education. The United States Supreme Court has long recognized that parents have a fundamental right to direct the upbringing and education of their child. See Meyer v. Nebraska, 262 U.S. 390, 400 (1923). Simply put, parents have the right—and responsibility—to be involved in their child’s education. The South Carolina General Assembly has passed the Parental Involvement in Their Children’s Education Act, which seeks to encourage the establishment and maintenance of parent-friendly school settings.
- Right to Believe: Parents—not PhD “experts”—have the right to shape their child’s beliefs. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution protects core rights of speech and belief. Any attempts by teachers or school district to violate those beliefs, such as by requiring students to use other students’ or teachers’ preferred pronouns, should be questioned. Simply put, forcing a student to affirm the preferred pronouns of another person may very well be a form of coercion that “betray[] the[] convictions” of students and parents. See Janus v. Am. Fed’n of State, Cnty. & Mun. Emps., Council 31, 585 U.S. 878, 893 (2018).
- Right to Safety: Parents shouldn’t have to worry about their child’s safety in schools. To promote student safety and privacy, the South Carolina General Assembly has passed Budget Proviso 1.114, which requires public school restrooms and changing rooms to be used by members of only one biological sex.
- Right to Read Age-Appropriate Materials: Parents should demand that only age-appropriate materials are in their child’s library. Under South Carolina law and regulations, parents have a right to challenge and request the removal of instructional material that is not age and developmentally appropriate.
- Right to Know: Parents should know who is teaching their child. Under federal law, parents have certain rights to know information about their child’s teacher, including whether the teacher has met state qualification and licensing criteria. Schools are also not allowed to secretly enable students to go through social gender transition at school. State law requires public schools to notify parents if their child identifies with a gender that is inconsistent with their sex at school or if the child asks a school employee to use a pronoun that does not align with the child’s sex.
