TALLAHASSEE -- A controversial bill that would let parents demand sweeping changes at low-performing schools won the approval of two education committees Tuesday.

Under the so-called parent trigger proposal, a majority of parents could petition to have the principal replaced, or even have a charter school operator take over.

The bill has parents statewide making noise — but not in the way you might think.

The Florida Parent Teacher Association, among other parent groups, has lambasted the parent trigger, calling it backdoor legislation aimed at proliferating charter schools.

Lawmakers, however, saw it differently Tuesday.

“The underlying principal is parent empowerment,” said Rep. Michael Bileca, R-Miami, who sponsored the House bill. “The research overwhelmingly shows that the most important person and greatest influence over a child’s education is the parent.”

If the bill were to pass, 51 percent of parents at a long struggling school could petition the school district for dramatic changes. Among the options: turning the school into a privately run, publicly financed charter school or contracting with an outside management company.

Parents could only pull the trigger if the school system’s turnaround strategy wasn’t working.

What’s more, the bill would also give parents the right to know if their child’s teacher had received poor performance reviews over time or was teaching out of field — and to be made aware of virtual instruction options from a teacher with better track record.

California, Texas and Mississippi have already adopted parent trigger laws.

To date, two parent groups in California have acted upon the law. One is petitioning to have its elementary school converted to a charter school. (A feature film about the effort is already in the works.)

The Florida bill has the support of the Foundation for Florida’s Future, an education think tank created by former Gov. Jeb Bush that champions accountability and school choice, the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Associated Industries of Florida.

But the proposal has taken heat from parent groups and teachers’ unions, who say moms and dads are being misled.

“It’s another effort for private corporations to try to take over our public school systems,” United Teachers of Dade President Karen Aronowitz said.

On Tuesday, members of a House education committee were receptive to the bill, which went through a round of revisions late last week.

“The only way to drive transformative change in a school is to have parents invested in those outcomes,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach.

Rep. Darren Soto, D-Orlando, raised concerns about for-profit charter school management companies trying to solicit business from parents.

Others didn’t see a problem with the practice.

In the end, three House Democrats voted against the parent trigger: Rep. Mia Jones, of Jacksonville; Rep. Martin Kiar, of Davie; and Rep. Rick Kriseman, of St. Petersburg.

But Kiar and Kriseman hinted that they might be able to support the bill somewhere down the road.

“I really do want to vote for this bill,” Kriseman said. “I hope I have the opportunity to do so with a couple of little tweaks to it.”

The bill got unanimous support from the Senate education panel later in the day.

Miami Herald reporter Laura Isensee contributed to this report.