HB225/SB364 pushes Tennessee schools into a welfare-state model, replacing parental roles with government-run social, health, and mental services. Under the guise of "support," this bill expands state control over children, undermining parental authority and true conservatism.
The Tennessee General Assembly is considering HB225/SB364, a bill that would turn public schools into "full-service community schools," providing students with social, health, nutrition, and mental health services—functions traditionally handled by parents. This move is being championed by Republican legislators, Rep. Mark Haston and Sen. Richard Briggs, in direct contradiction to conservative values of limited government, parental rights, and personal responsibility.
The Hidden Agenda: Government Overreach in the Guise of Service
At first glance, this legislation appears to be a helpful initiative, promising expanded resources for students and families. However, the reality is that government programs framed as “services” often become mechanisms of control. This bill paves the way for government-run schools to assume parental roles, making them the central authority in children’s lives rather than their actual families.
HB225/SB364 would create a structure where schools partner with community organizations to offer various welfare services directly to students and their families. While this may seem beneficial, it fundamentally shifts the role of schools from academic institutions to government-run social service centers, inserting state oversight into the home under the pretense of support.
The Breakdown: How This Bill Dismantles Parental Authority
This legislation establishes Full-Service Community Schools, which aim to:
- Provide mental health services directly to children, bypassing parental input.
- Administer nutritional programs that override parental control over diet and health choices.
- Engage in social and developmental interventions that can dictate how children are raised outside of school hours.
- Encourage dependency on state-run programs, expanding the welfare state within the public school system.
This is not conservative policy. This is government encroachment disguised as community assistance.
Turning Schools into Welfare Centers
HB225/SB364 isn’t just about providing additional resources—it’s about making government-run schools the primary caregivers of Tennessee’s children. The bill effectively creates an avenue for schools to replace the role of parents under the guise of convenience and accessibility.
Instead of empowering parents, this legislation enables bureaucratic intervention in family life, something conservatives have long warned against. Rather than ensuring schools focus on academics, this bill prioritizes social and health programs that should remain under parental control.
Conservatives Must Reject This Big Government Scheme
It is shocking that Republican lawmakers are pushing a policy that mirrors leftist welfare-state ideology. This proposal runs contrary to the Republican platform of limited government, individual responsibility, and parental rights.
If this bill becomes law, Tennessee public schools will no longer function as institutions of education but as full-fledged government service hubs. Parents will be forced to compete with state bureaucrats for authority over their own children.
What Can You Do?
Tennessee conservatives must act now to stop HB225/SB364 from becoming law.
- Call your state representatives and demand they vote against this blatant expansion of government overreach.
- Spread the word about how this bill threatens parental authority and expands the welfare state.
- Support real conservative policies that strengthen families rather than replace them with government programs.
The Republican supermajority should be fighting for freedom and family rights—not pushing policies that hand over parental responsibilities to the state. Tennesseans deserve better than a legislature that promotes leftist policies under a conservative label.
In the House K-12 Subcommittee vote on HB0225, Republicans were divided, with Lee Reeves, Mark White, and Kirk Haston siding with Democrats to push the bill forward, while Gino Bulso and Bryan Slater stood firm and voted no. Reeves, who routinely smears grassroots conservatives in his district as "fake conservatives," "demagogues," and "Democrats in disguise" for holding Republican legislators accountable, once again exposed his own alignment with establishment politics. His vote raises serious doubts about his commitment to true conservative principles, as he continues to side against the very grassroots voters he claims to represent.
This week the bill was "rolled" or action was deferred, and it is to be heard in the Education committee on 3/11. CLICK HERE to send a message to the general assembly and tell them to VOTE NO.
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