Parental Rights

As parents, we were blessed with the responsibility of raising our children, and do so in a manner that we see fit. Generally speaking, parents and guardians seek to do what is best for their individual children. It is the right of those parents to make a multitude of decisions on behalf of those for whom they care.

Parental rights are paramount and they are being attacked on several fronts. Current circumstances are showing these strikes in the arena of medical decisions with regards to mandated masking and overemphasized vaccinations. However, this is only one aspect of this infringement and parental rights are and will continue to be violated in various other areas.

There is an insidiousness in the methods being used to manipulate these rights and slowly erode them. Whether it is the minimal information regarding curriculum, the careful manipulation of language in field trip request forms, or the calculated language of surveys sent home to parents; this is reprehensible.

At this point in time, a policy is in place in our county that does not require the school system to seek permission from parents in completing surveys of a delicate nature. Instead of active consent, they seek to force implied consent, or an opt-out choice. Their rationale? They don’t gain enough information from surveys that parents have to opt their children into. This is not a viable excuse. A board seeking information to make changes to curriculum or safety procedures should be proactive in acquiring the maximum amount of data to make the best decisions.

This policy, and others like it, need to be changed. It is not the right of the school board as a governing body, to infringe upon the sovereignty over oneself and one’s children. Changes to current policy must happen.

SImply because we, as parents, send our children into the school building does not indicate an abdication of authority. Parents have a voice and it will be heard. (my finalized copy)