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A first in America: Lexington, Mass. Superintendent of Schools orders NO notice to parents on teaching homosexual relationships, even in elementary grades!Cites (flawed) interpretation of Mass. Parental Notification Law (which WE wrote and got passed in 1996).How the state law designed to protect children and parents from the sexual/homosexual agenda is now used against them - through state bureaucratic subterfuge and the dishonesty and arrogance of local officials.In 1995, Parents Rights Coalition, the forerunner of MassResistance, drafted and helped thousands of parents lobby for the Parental Notification Law. It was passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Bill Weld in 1996. It saddens and angers us that this law is being misused by public officials in such a terrible way.
Read the law for yourself - passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Bill Weld. CHAPTER 71. PUBLIC SCHOOLS Section 32A. Every city, town, regional school district or vocational school district implementing or maintaining curriculum which primarily involves human sexual education or human sexuality issues shall adopt a policy ensuring parental/guardian notification. Such policy shall afford parents or guardians the flexibility to exempt their children from any portion of said curriculum through written notification to the school principal. No child so exempted shall be penalized by reason of such exemption. Said policy shall be in writing, formally adopted by the school committee as a school district policy and distributed by September first, nineteen hundred and ninety-seven, and each year thereafter to each principal in the district. A copy of each school district's policy must be sent to the department of education after adoption. To the extent practicable, program instruction materials for said curricula shall be made reasonably accessible to parents, guardians, educators, school administrators, and others for inspection and review. The department of education shall promulgate regulations for adjudicatory proceedings to resolve any and all disputes arising under this section.
On April 28, 2005, following the arrest and jailing of Lexington parent David Parker over over his request that he be notified, and given the opt-out option, when adults discussed homosexuality or transgenderism with his 6-year-old son in Kindergarten, Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney made the following statement on television, regarding the Parker incident: "We have in Massachusetts a parental notification statute specifically in matters related to human sexuality. If a parent wants to be informed of what is being taught in a classroom and wants to have their child withdrawn from the classroom for that portion of the class dealing with human sexuality, that parent has the right."
September 2005 - Lexington superintendent announces that no notice will be given to parents on teaching about homosexual relationships in school. On September 20, 2005, in a move unprecedented in America, Lexington superintendent Paul Ash issued a statement that the town will not give parents the right of notification about teaching about homosexual relationships in the schools. This was also published in the local newspaper. What does the law say schools have to do? Over the summer, I have received a number of questions about implementation of Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 71, Section 32A ("Section 32A"). These questions relate to the following provision:
In Lexington, curriculum identified by the statute generally begins at the fifth-grade level. LPS [Lexington Public Schools] has, of course, adopted a policy implementing Section 32A, and school staff routinely provide parents with notice and the flexibility to "opt out" of this curriculum. Recently, questions have been raised as to whether school staff also has an obligation to notify parents and allow "opt out" of other school-based activities, particularly in the elementary grades. For example, some parents have requested they be notified whenever their child has access to any material, conversation, or activity that acknowledges differences in sexual orientation, including any reference to families with same-gender parents. Since elementary curriculum often elicits discussion of family experiences, such references certainly may occur. In addition, our schools routinely provide students with access to materials, activities, and discussions that recognize diversity. This access is designed to assist us in our goal of maintaining an appropriate and respectful educational environment for all students. As required by law and LPS policy, this environment must be free of discrimination based on race, gender, color, religion, sexual orientation, national origin and disability. The Massachusetts Department of Education, which is responsible for administering Section 32A, has explained that activities and materials designed to promote tolerance and respect for individuals, including recognition of differences in sexual orientation "without further instruction on the physical and sexual implications" do not trigger the notice and opt out provisions of Section 32A. Under this standard, staff has no obligation to notify parents of discussions, activities, or materials that simply reference same-gender parents or that otherwise recognize the existence of differences in sexual orientation. Accordingly, I expect teachers to continue to allow children access to such activities and materials to the extent appropriate to children's ages, to district goals of respecting diversity, and to the curriculum. As this new school year begins, I look forward to working with the Lexington community to provide a positive educational environment for all students. Click here for Adobe Acrobat version of press release and newspaper article. Ash stated that per his order, "staff has no obligation to notify parents of discussions, activities, or materials that simply reference same-gender parents or that otherwise recognize the existence of differences in sexual orientation." In other words, homosexual relationships ("same-gender parents") taught to kids do not need parental notification. This appears to be a direct contradiction to Gov. Romney's earlier statement to the public. He also uses weasel words: "I expect teachers to continue to allow children access to such activities and materials to the extent appropriate to children's ages, to district goals of respecting diversity, and to the curriculum." How arrogant is this?? And just who decides what is appropriate to children's ages? Who decides what the goals respecting "diversity" should be? In Ash's mind, it's the school bureaucrats, not parents, who make these decisions for children! But more importantly, the Notification Law does not give the Department of Education (DOE) power to intrepret the law. Courts interpret laws, not executive departments. It merely says "The department of education shall promulgate regulations for adjudicatory proceedings to resolve any and all disputes arising under this section."
The current law isn't working. Our new bill would make this an OPT-IN issue, not opt-out. Let the school persuade parents, as it is in every other elective that schools offer. And the current law leaves it up to the DOE to have regulations in place to adjudicate issues between parents and school systems regarding this law. But in fact, these regulations act as logjams to wear parents down. What actually happens is that parents beg the Department, by letters or in person, to force the schools to apply the law properly. Commissioner Driscoll looks over the evidence and personally acts as judge and jury. Chapter 71, section 32A of the General Laws is hereby amended to be the following:— Section 32A. Every city, town, regional school district or vocational school district implementing or maintaining curriculum or portion thereof, or school sanctioned program or activity, which primarily involves a human sexual education, human sexuality issues, or sexual orientation issues shall adopt a written policy ensuring parental/guardian notification. All such curriculum, programs, and activities shall be offered only in clearly identified non-mandatory elective courses in which parents or guardians may choose to enroll their children through written notification to the school, in a manner reasonably similar to other elective courses offered by the school district. To the extent practicable, instruction materials and related items for said curriculum, programs, and activities shall be made reasonably accessible to parents, guardians, educators, school administrators, and others for inspection and preview. No public school teacher or administrator shall be required to participate in any such curriculum, programs, or activities that violate his or her religious beliefs. We need to get this passed this term!! ( Here's the link where you can see the sponsors, also. )
Suppose there were no Parental Notification Law to bicker about? In a normal society, there shouldn't be a need for one. The sad and outrageous truth is that we have a government and school officials in Massachusetts who are extremely anti-parent, anti-religious radicals -- who think nothing of using kids' minds as their own personal sandbox for social experiments.
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