Court rules schools, not parents, control sex subjects
By MARYLEE SHRIDER, Contributing columnist | Friday, Sep 1 2006 2:15 PM
Last Updated: Friday, Sep 1 2006 2:15 PM
Honestly, the nerve of some people.
Like that group of parents in nearby Palmdale who believe that they, not the California school system, are the ultimate moral authority when it comes to their kids.
These parents were stunned to discover otherwise five years ago when they learned their children, ages seven to 10, had participated in a Mesquite Elementary School survey that included questions of an explicit sexual nature.
Outraged, they turned to the state’s legal system, where their case made its way to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The court’s ruling? No harm, no foul — the role of parent doesn’t include an inherent or constitutional right to control what their kids are taught in public school, not even when it comes to sex.
“Schools cannot be expected to accommodate the personal, moral or religious concerns of every parent,” wrote Judge Stephen Reinhardt in the court’s November decision to reject the parent’s suit.
http://www.bakersfield.com/619/story/71153.html