June 2010
ALERT FOR PARENTS
What’s coming to your children’s schools
Dear Parents:
A new government pregnancy prevention program is targeting public school children. This program includes harmful sex education that will teach your children about birth control abortion, and homosexuality, which may not agree with your beliefs and values. Typically these programs are age-inappropriate and offensive. At least $50 million of your tax dollars will fund this program each year.
If this federal government program gets in your children’s school or your community, your children may be taught about how to use a condom and where they can get free confidential birth control services. When a girl becomes pregnant – as they surely will because teens do not use birth control or condoms consistently or correctly – they may be referred to abortion centers without your knowledge or consent. Even though Texas requires parental consent for abortion, your daughters may be shown how to circumvent parental consent.
When teens get a devastating sexually transmitted disease – as they surely will because condoms can’t prevent them 100% – they will be referred to confidential sources for testing and treatment without your knowledge or consent.
The sex education programs may mention abstinence, but they’re based on the belief that kids “are going to do it anyway” and they do not uphold a standard of abstinence until marriage.
Parents must be involved and vigilant about what their children are being taught.
What you can do to protect your children:
1. Do your homework. Get informed and teach your children at an appropriate age about sexually transmitted diseases, which are widespread among teens. Chlamydia can cause sterility. Human Papillomavirus (HPV) can cause cervical cancer.
2. Do not sign anything without carefully reviewing it. This includes consent for medical treatment, counseling, field trips, curriculum materials, classroom presentations, decision making, programs, and movies/DVDs. When you sign consent forms, note specific exclusions by your signature and attach a letter – see attachment. Some schools ask you to sign that you have read and agree with your child’s Student Handbook – make sure you read this very carefully so you are not signing consent for something you do not want. Sex education can occur in a variety of subjects, including health, science, biology, child development, family life, decision making, HIV-AIDS, communicable diseases, and counseling.
3. Ask for definitions. “Abstinence” education needs to be defined, and it needs to state what it includes and what it excludes. Counterfeit abstinence education programs include inappropriate and offensive materials that encourage sexual activity. It may be considered abstinence even if it includes such activities as oral or anal sex. True abstinence programs teach abstinence from all sexual activity until marriage.
4. Ask for a list of materials recommended by your school district’s health advisory council and approved by the school board. Texas law requires that your school board appoint at least five members to a School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) (Texas Education Code 28.004). Find out who is on the health advisory council, their perspectives, and when it meets. Attend the meetings.
· Know your rights. The United States Supreme Court has recognized and repeatedly stated for almost a century that parents have a fundamental right to direct the upbringing and education of their children. Texas law also recognizes parental rights (Texas Education Code § 26) and provides for safeguards particularly concerning sex education (Chapter 28).
· Review teaching materials. You have a right to review all teaching materials. Before each school year, a school district must provide written notice to parents whether the district will provide human sexuality instruction to district students. (Texas Education Code § 28.004).
· Your child does not have to participate in sex education programs. Texas law gives you the right to opt out your child from human sexuality instruction without subjecting him or her to any disciplinary action, grade penalty, or any other discriminatory actions (Texas Education Code § 28.004).
· Make sure your district is obeying the law. Texas law requires that any course materials and instruction “must (1) present abstinence from sexual activity as the preferred choice of behavior in relationship to all sexual activity for unmarried persons of school age; (2) devote more attention to abstinence from sexual activity than to any other behavior;” and, (3) emphasize that abstinence is the only method that is 100 percent effective in preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases and infections (Texas Education Code § 28.004).
· Know your district complaint procedure. Texas law requires that each school district must have a complaint procedure (Texas Education Code § 26.011). You can file a complaint if your district is violating any policies or procedures in your district. For example, you may file a complaint if the district does not provide notice, allow reasonable inspection of the teaching materials, or takes any disciplinary action, grade penalty, or other actions against your child because you opted out him or her from instruction.
The attached letter of consent will help protect your children.
Trinity Legal Center is a nonprofit organization that provides legal services at no charge to protect women and minors from the harm of abortion and provide educational information and resources concerning issues such as sex education and abortion. If you have questions or we may be of assistance, please let us know. You may contact us through our website at www.trinitylegalcenter.org or our e-mail listed below.
Sincerely,
Linda Schlueter Anne Newman
President and Attorney Director of Policy and Communication
TLC4Linda@aol.com TLC4Anne@aol.com