Parental Rights

This policy comes from Lansing USD 469 who crafted a Parent’s Bill of Rights with consideration for the state mandates and statutes on related matters.

This policy helps ensure that teachers and school leaders understand how to handle opt-out requests consistently and respectfully, preventing confusion or disputes.

In this policy, the district supports that parents shall have the right to access, upon request, the instructional materials used in the education of their children.

This policy helps school boards establish procedures to provide parents with the opportunity to inspect any materials created by a third party used in conjunction with any such survey, analysis, or evaluation before the survey/evaluation is administered or distributed by the school to the student.

This policy supports districts who view parents as having the right to determine the names and pronouns that staff use to refer to their children while at school according to the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that recognizes the “inherent right” of parents to “direct the upbringing and education of children under their control.” See Pierce v. Society of Sisters, 268 U.S. 510, 534–35 (1925)

The education of children is a joint responsibility; one it shares with the parents of the school community. To ensure that the best interests of the child are served in this process, robust communication between home and school must be maintained.

This policy affirms that right and ensures that the district handles all opt-out requests respectfully and consistently. Schools and staff shall remain viewpoint-neutral and shall not grant or deny requests based on agreement or disagreement with a family’s beliefs.

This model form allows parents to opt out of activities based on religious objections.