Opinion: Back-to-school checklist, to protect students and make sure all children are safe at school

Liv Finne, of the Washington Policy Center offers a checklist that provides positive ways for parents to get involved in their child’s education. File photo.

Liv Finne, of the Washington Policy Center, offers parents an important list of tasks as their send their students back to school

Liv Finne
Washington Policy Center

As parents prepare to send kids back to school, one common concern is bullying in the schools. State leaders recently increased the chances that children will be rejected for being themselves. On May 5, 2021 Governor Inslee signed SB 5044 and three other bills requiring Critical Race Theory and radical gender ideology in the public schools.

These state-level laws say it’s ok for schools to tell white children they are oppressors and non-white students they are oppressed. This harmful policy not only violates the rights of teachers (see WPC publication Know Your Rights), it violates the personal safety, religious and constitutional rights of students. For example, girls have a right to be safe when using bathrooms, locker-rooms and showers.

It is important for parents to be engaged with their local schools, and get informed about the school’s policies and practices for protecting students. The Pacific Justice Institute and The Family Policy Institute of Washington have developed a helpful back-to-school checklist to inform parents. Here it is:

Review the district’s student code of conduct.
Opt your student out of sex education and all surveys. Here’s a link to the opt-out form from the Pacific Justice Institute (PJI): https://pacificjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/washington_state_parent_and_student_opt_out_notice_-Fillable.pdf.
Ask for a privacy accommodation for your student. Here’s the form: https://d3otn7pmqo7fh9.cloudfront.net/uploads/2018/09/notice_of_privacy_updated_-_us.pdf.
Know your rights and your students rights by reviewing the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA).
Know your student’s religious rights at school. Students have a constitutional right to express their religion at school, start after-school Bible clubs, and pray, as described here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YwooWXkKVnFMC9iMeqqnyBYPBcRZCqXZ/view
Understand the medical rights of minors by reviewing “When can a minor access health care without parental consent?” at WashingtonLawHelp.org.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions: What is the school’s discipline policy? What is the school’s policy on gender ideology? Does a school grade students on “equity” in addition to learning?

This checklist provides positive ways for parents to get involved in their child’s education. Parents are encouraged to volunteer in classrooms, attend a school board meeting, and get to know the child’s teachers.

These are tax-funded public schools. They belong to everyone. That means it is everyone’s responsibility to get involved, get informed about students’ religious and constitutional rights and, above all, to ensure that children are safe at school.

Liv Finne is the director of the Center for Education at the Washington Policy Center.