A bill that would have given parents across Missouri new power over what their children read in school and how districts spend money fell short in the state House on Thursday.

State Rep. Ben Keathley, the Chesterfield Republican who sponsored the Parental Bill of Rights, watched it fail 70-60 on a recorded roll-call vote, the Missouri Independent reported. The bill needed 82 votes, a constitutional majority, to advance to the Senate. Thirty-three House members did not vote.

The defeat was a reversal. On Tuesday, the House had signaled approval through a voice vote after lengthy debate. But when members went on the record Thursday, support evaporated.

The bill was statewide, but locally it would have applied to roughly 35,500 students in Parkway C-2 and Rockwood R-VI school districts. Parents would have gained the right to approve reading materials and classroom topics on moral grounds. Schools would have been required to build a public database showing how districts spend their money. Parents could also have formally excused children from school for religious reasons.

One provision drew sharp opposition: a requirement that schools notify parents if they suspected a child was being abused. Critics warned that if a parent were the abuser, the notification could put the child in greater danger.

"Our schools know how to navigate the balance of the parents' rights and the protection of children, as do our health care providers," said Rep. Kathy Steinhoff, a Columbia Democrat. "This bill will add challenges to the work they are doing."

Keathley framed the bill as common sense, telling colleagues that parents are "the initial and ultimate people responsible for the upbringing and raising of their children." Opponents countered that the requirements would pile administrative burdens onto school systems already stretched thin.

The Missouri legislature adjourns May 15, and the final two weeks are dominated by budget negotiations. Keathley has not said publicly whether he will try to attach provisions to another bill before the session ends.