Parental Rights in Public Schools

Today we're given the news story that Glenn Beck listeners, i.e. "concerned parents" all over the country are outraged that their children might be shown a 15-minute video from the president without their consent (See: 1989 Ronald Reagan, 1991 George Bush, Sr., 2001 George W. Bush, etc. etc. etc.).

I'll ignore the wicked retahded and go to something I find, at base, the most important part of this story.

The vast majority of parents in this country do not know their parental rights. It became more apparent today.

So, a call-out to anyone with children in public schools. Part motivational, part informational.

- You have a right as a parent to present concerns relating to anything to do with your child's education. There's an appropriate way of doing this, and an inappropriate way (which takes more time, and will not get you the results you want).

Step one: Go to the correct person. Learn this pecking order: Teacher THEN principal THEN assistant superintendant THEN superintendant THEN school board THEN county superintendant.

Step two: Keep a paper trail. You have a right to see your child's school cumulative (permanent) records and get copies of report cards. Advice: Keep documentation of all concerns. If it's academically related, keep your child's schoolwork. Behavior related? Have your kid write and/or translate the occurances as soon after they happen as possible. Take all documentation with you to any meetings, and after the meetings document exactly what went down so that that too is documented.

Step three: Stay abreast of a situation and stay informed. You have a right to know what process a school is using to assist your child or deal with a potential problem. Ask for clarification if you don't understand why they are doing something with your child. Use the pecking order of someone on the lower end can't give you a firm answer. And keep documentation of this whole process.

Information Rights.

- You have a right to view all of your child's school's textbooks, teacher guides, and lesson plans. If you have any concerns with what content your child is being taught, go through the pecking order until you get to someone that can get you the school's documentation. You have a right to it. Where can I find my child's curriculum? Go to your state's board of education's website and they will have links. Or just head over to their school as they will have them in either books or binders for you to look at. If you have a college/university nearby with a teaching department, they might have copies of all the area's textbooks on hand for you to check out (teacher's guides too!). That or you can just head to your kid's school and ask. It's your right to.

- You have a right to know beforehand what assemblies or field trips your child will be attending or going on.

Meetings/Supervision Rights.

- You have a right to conferences with your child's teacher any time during the year. You are not limited to the report-card conferences. Be respectful with your right: Call ahead and schedule a good meeting time with the teacher and let them know what is to be discussed and what you need them to have prepared for it.

- You have the right to ask that the principal is there to witness a parent-teacher conference. And sidenote: The teacher has a right to ask for that service if they feel it's needed on their end.

- You have the right to visit your child's classroom at any time during the school year. A school can ask that you notify them ahead of time to let them know you are coming, but you have a right not to. Spontaneous visits are allowed. Side note that many teachers wouldn't want me saying: You wanna see if your kid's teacher is as inept as you think she is? Go visit right after lunch or go visit halfway through a rainy day. But be respectful and be smart with your right: Always go to the office first to get a visitor's pass, don't make a huge loud scene upon entering the classroom, stand in the back, don't distract your child, and don't stand there with a clipboard and a concerned grimace taking 'notes'. As for smart, if you're there to witness your child's behavior, see if there's a way to watch from an open back door or a back window so that your child doesn't even know you are there. And don't tell them you are going to be there in the morning either. Duh!

'Opt Out' Rights:

- Whether it be a project, an elective class, a holiday celebration, a lesson, an athletic event, a series of lessons, or (Snap!) a 15-minute presidential address, you have a right to opt your children out at any and all times. And unbelieveably, that right is as strong today as it was on January 20, 2009.

Parents need to remember that they aren't just the 'customers' at a school. They are the boss too. Parents are, at base, responsible for their child's education. If we do not understand our rights, we are not doing a thorough job.

Today's hullabaloo could have been quelled with two things:

1. Parents knowing their opt-out rights


The other will be discussed in my next post.