'Let the teachers teach, and shut up': Dem lawmaker gets nasty with voter who asked him to help pass parents' rights bill

Democratic New Hampshire state Representative Tommy Hoyt recently got nasty with a parent who asked him to support a parents' rights bill, telling the voter to "shut up" and "let the teachers teach."

A New Hampshire parent emailed Hoyt this week urging him to vote for Senate Bill 272, the Parents' Bill of Rights in Education.

The legislation sought to prevent schools from withholding details about children from their parents, including information regarding sex and gender.

The bill received heavy opposition from the teachers' unions, progressive activists, and left-leaning politicians who claimed that parents could pose a danger to their own children.

Democratic Senator Rebecca Perkins Kwoka argued that the bill would "open children up" to "violence from their parents." Democratic Senator Donovan Fenton claimed that the legislation could "end up being fatal for our young children." Democratic Party chair Ray Buckley contended that if the bill passed, "Some kids will be beaten to death."

Hoyt stated that "some parents" are a threat to their children. However, he noted that he does not believe school officials should lie to parents but that, in some circumstances, they should be allowed to keep information from them.

The legislation was ultimately shot down in a 195-190 vote on Thursday.

"I am a parent of four children in Hopkinton, NH. I am writing to ask that you pass SB272 without any amendments," the voter wrote to Hoyt. "Aren't most teachers and school staff also parents? Do you believe that teachers and school staff make better parents than everyone else? Do you believe that most parents are abusive?"

Hoyt responded to the parent's request by telling the voter to "shut up."

"Do you know why children's results tanked during covid?" Hoyt wrote, referring to students' declining performance in school. "Their parents were incompetent teachers. Do your children a favor, let the teachers teach, and shut up. You're clearly no professional."

The representative confirmed to NHJournal that the parent's email was authentic.

"The way I feel is that children's test scores in school performance dropped off drastically was because they didn't have teachers. And the parents that thought, 'We can replace them and can tell them what to do,' was not effective. I probably could have used better words," Hoyt told the outlet.

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