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Parental Rights

Florida continues to take tho protect parental rights and ensure the lawfulness of instructional materials. The Florida Department of Education recently created a resource page for parents to help them navigate the avenues available for them to voice concerns regarding potentially unlawful school materials. This resource can be found here.

Parents' Bill of Rights

Section 1014.05, F.S., The Parent’s Bill of Rights became law in 2021.  FSDB strongly encourages and provides ways for parents and legal guardians to not only be engaged in their child’s education, but to be a partner in their educational journey.  Please use the following links to access information regarding:

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Please contact Tracie C. Snow, FSDB President, to request any of the information listed above and allow 10 days for a response.

Parental Notification Regarding Designation of Bathrooms, Locker Rooms and Dressing Rooms

(Rule 6A-10.086) The purpose of this rule is to protect students’ safety and the fundamental rights of parents to be fully informed of how bathrooms are designated and how locker rooms, which include dressing rooms, are designated and supervised. The rule ensures full transparency to enhance the health, safety and welfare of students when utilizing bathrooms and locker rooms, and protect parental rights.

Educational Records

The protection of student personally identifiable information is of the utmost importance and parents have the right to know how their child’s student information and data are used.  The amendment to Rule 6A-1.0955, FAC, ensures third-party vendors are not able to manipulate or compromise student information.  This amended rule protects student privacy when students are required to use online educational services or when FSDB contracts with third-party vendors or service providers.  The rule also ensures that threat assessments determined to be transient or substantive shall be maintained in a student’s file as long as determined useful pursuant to Section 1006.07(7), F.S. and Rule 6A-1.0018 FAC.  FSDB will safeguard student educational records in accordance with state and federal law. 

Principles of Professional Conduct for the Education Professional Conduct for the Education Profession in Florida

(Amendment to Rule 6A-10.081) The amendment prohibits classroom instruction to students in kindergarten through grade 3 on sexual orientation or gender identity and protects all students by expanding the definition of discrimination to include subjecting students to training or instruction that espouses, promotes, advances, inculcates, or compels any of the concepts listed in Section 1000.05(4)(a), Florida Statutes.

Elementary School Website Listing of Library Materials and Reading Lists

Parents have the right to know what materials their child has access to at school.  Amendment to Rule 6A-7.0713, FAC, expands parental rights to give parents the ability to search materials which are in their child’s elementary school library.  As you search our library media catalogue via the Alexandria application found on the Library Media webpage, you will find the listing of books, ebooks, periodicals, videos, and other materials which are searchable by author and title.  If there is a required reading list for students in grades K-5, they will be posted on individual teacher webpages.

Reconsideration of Media Materials

We suggest that prior to submitting a challenge to non-adopted instructional materials, you schedule a meeting with the principal of the school to gain an understanding of how the material is being used. To submit a challenge, please submit the Library Materials Objection Form. 

Request for Resolution

The Florida Department of Education requires FSDB to establish procedures for parent/legal guardians to seek resolution of certain disputes with a school principal or designee, then, if the dispute remains unresolved, an additional method to attempt to resolve the President.

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  1. Please email the school Principal with the subject line ‘Parental Rights in Education’, if you have a concern related to the school’s compliance with the Parental Rights in Education requirements. Please state the nature of the concern in writing.
     

  2. The principal, or designee, will review the form and either resolve the dispute or provide the parent/guardian a statement for the reasons for not resolving the dispute within seven (7) days of receipt of the form.
     

  3. If not resolved, the parent/legal guardian can submit the Request for Resolution form to the President.
     

  4. Within 30 days after receipt of the notification, the President, or designee, will review the form and either resolve the dispute or provide the parent/legal guardian with a statement for the reasons for not resolving the dispute.
     

  5. If a parental complaint involving certain types of disputes is not resolved at the local level by a school principal within seven days, or subsequently, the President within 30 days, a parent may submit a form to the Florida Department of Education requesting the appointment of a Special Magistrate. If the request is granted, a Special Magistrate would hold a hearing and provide a recommended decision to the State Board of Education on the dispute between a parent and FSDB. The State Board of Education would either approve or reject the recommended decision within 30 days.

 

The types of complaints that parents may request a Special Magistrate are set forth in s.1001.42(8)(c)1.- 6., F.S.:

 

  1. In accordance with the rights of parents enumerated in ss.1002.20 and 1014.04, F.S., the school district must adopt procedures for notifying a student’s parent if there is a change in the student’s services or monitoring related to the student’s mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being and the school’s ability to provide a safe and supportive learning environment for the student. The procedures must reinforce the fundamental right of parents to make decisions regarding the upbringing and control of their children by requiring school district personnel to encourage a student to discuss issues relating to the student’s well-being with his or her parent or to facilitate discussion of the issue with the parent. The procedures may not prohibit parents from accessing any of their student’s educational and health records created, maintained, or used by the school district, as required by s. 1001.22(2), F.S.
     

  2. A school district may not adopt procedures or student support forms that prohibit school district personnel from notifying a parent about his or her student’s mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being, or a change in related services or monitoring, or that encourage or have the effect of encouraging a student to withhold from a parent such information. School district personnel may not discourage or prohibit parental notification of and involvement in critical decisions affecting a student’s mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being. This requirement does not prohibit a school district from adopting procedures that permit school personnel to withhold information from a parent if a reasonably prudent person would believe that disclosure would result in abuse, abandonment, or neglect as defined in s. 39.01, F.S.
     

  3. Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in pre-kindergarten through grade 8, except when required by ss. 1103.42 (2) (n) 3 and 1003.46. If such instruction is provided in grades 9 through 12, the instruction must be age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.
     

  4. Student support services training developed or provided by a school district to school district personnel must adhere to student services guidelines, standards, and frameworks established by the Department of Education.
     

  5. At the beginning of the school year, the school district must notify parents of each healthcare service offered at their student’s school and the option to withhold consent or decline any specific service in accordance with s. 1014.06. Parental consent to a health care service does not waive the parent’s right to access his or her student’s educational health records or to be notified about a change in his or her student’s services or monitoring.
     

  6. Before administering a well-being questionnaire or health screening form to a student in kindergarten through grade 3, the school district must provide the questionnaire or health screening form to the parent and obtain the permission of the parent.

Requet for Resolution

School Safety Requirements and Monitoring

(Amendment to Rule 6A-1.0018) This amendment clarifies the reporting and documentation of threat assessments, including where no threat is found. In addition, the amendment addresses duties of the school safety specialist to ensure all school personnel receive youth mental health awareness training. Districts must submit district and public charter school policies and written procedures pertaining to health, safety, and welfare of students to the Office of Safe Schools by July 1 of each year.

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