OPT out Form Letter

Form for you to opt your child out.

One of our biggest Mom contributors, Nicole Lebron, shared this opt-out template for you to use. You would send this in every year and modify according to your own child’s best interests. Having teenagers, I personally feel as though some of these topics would be OK for my children, however, if they were younger I would be opting my child out of some of these. I want to be clear that we are NOT anti LGBT, we just believe that parents are the best advocates for their children and deserve a right to the education that their child needs. Modify this template as needed.

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Dear Principal (Name),

I hope this letter finds you well and you are enjoying the Summer. There have been concerns recently in the community about political advocacy in the schools. As a concerned parent, I am providing this letter for my (son/daughter), (Name), while (he/she) is enrolled in the (BOE district). I want to make sure that you know how much I support our community and want to help my (son/ daughter) achieve a high level of academic excellence. I also want to open a clear line of communication about my expectations related to controversial topics and especially politics, in the classroom.

Please find my enclosed parental Opt-Out forms for my child, (Child's Name), for school year beginning 2021-2022. As his parent it is imperative that these be added to his school file and a copy be given to each of his teachers and any media center professional.

Also, please advise when the list of approved instructional materials will be available and where I can locate them. Please confirm your receipt of this directive via email. We look forward to a great school year.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via email. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

(Print Name Sign Above)

Human Sexuality/CRT/SEL Instruction Parental Non-Consent/ Opt Out Form For the School Year (ENTER YEAR)

I,                                                             , as parent and/or legal guardian of                                              , a minor child, hereby exercise my right under the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, the U.S. Constitution and the Constitution and laws of the State of New Jersey, to direct the upbringing and education of my minor child, and hereby place school administrators on notice of the following:

1.   I DO NOT CONSENT to my child’s participation in ANY instruction or discussion on human sexuality, race, gender, gender identity, LGBT, equity or social emotional learning which is derived in whole or in part from; contains information from; or references to the following sources, including but not limited to:

A.      National Sexuality Education Standards

B.      Future of Sex Education (FoSE) Initiative

C.      Sex, Etc.

D.      GCAPP / FLASH

E.      ETR, Inc., HealthSmart, Making A Difference, Draw the Line, etc.

F.      Advocates for Youth, 3 R’s (Rights, Respect, Responsibility)

G.      Answer, The Trevor Project

H.       SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change, PrEP

I.        Planned Parenthood (including active videos like Roo, video library)

J.       The Human Rights Campaign, The Kinsey Institut4e

K.      GLSEN (Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network)

L.     Gay Straight Alliance

M.     Guttmacher Institute

N.      Amaze.org

P.    Any SEL/SEEL programs including, but not limited to, BrainPop, Sanford Harmony, Purpose Prep, Second Steps, Edgenuity, RethinkEd, Seven Mindsets, etc.

2.   I DO NOT CONSENT to my child being given instruction or information on or being subjected to discussion of any aspect of human sexuality unless I opt-in in writing for a sexual risk avoidance / abstinence centered curriculum during Health class. Instruction, media center materials or information including the following:

A.    Abortion;

B.    Birth control/contraceptives;

C.    Sexual activity of any kind whatsoever, including, but not limited to, vaginal, oral or anal sex;

D.    Sexual orientation, including, but not limited to any variant of homosexuality, including but not limited to, lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, or questioning identities;

E.    Transgenderism or gender identity, including, but not limited to, gender as social construct; gender binary; gender spectrum; gender reassignment surgery, gender dysphoria, false gender, pronouns, gender expression, or cross-sex hormones;                                                                         1

F.    Any referral of my child to a counselor, medical professional, social worker, within or outside the school for purposes of discussing sexuality, or any of the topics listed herein;

G.   Any written material of; reference to; or referral to an outside agency, group, individual or organization relating to sexuality (including, but not limited to those listed in Section 1).

H.   Any obscene or harmful to minors materials whether in print or online databases like Galileo, Gale, EBSCO etc.

I.      Any reference to or participation in a personal analysis, evaluation or survey that reveals or attempts to affect my child’s attitudes, habits, traits, opinions, beliefs or feelings concerning: political affiliations; religious beliefs or practices; mental or psychological conditions; sexual behavior or attitudes; sexual activity; sexual orientation; gender identity; or illegal, antisocial, self- incriminating or demeaning behavior;

J.     Collection of data concerning any characteristics of my child listed in paragraph 2C above, whether collected by the school, the district, any other governmental entity, or a contractor or vendor, and whether or not such data is personally identifiable.

K.    Any advertisement of or participation in any group, organization, club, entity or activity that discusses or addresses sexual activity, sexual orientation or gender identity, under the guise of “bullying” or other rationale;

L.    Any additional instruction and discussion, including but not limited to: classroom teachers, school staff, third-party providers, YouTube or other videos, films, live streaming, other audio-visual methods, textbooks, workbooks, or handout material, including any entity listed under Section 1 or any topic listed under Section 2.

I am requesting alternative academic instruction for my child during the same period that any instruction on any aspect regarding above is provided or presented. This curriculum conflicts with our conscience, sincerely held moral and religious beliefs. (Child's Name) shall be excused from these portions of the course(s) and no penalties as to credit or graduation shall result.

I hereby request that this notification be placed in my child’s permanent file and be provided to all people offering instruction to my child during the school year. Any instruction contrary to this notice will be the subject of further action to protect my child.

Parent and/or Legal Guardian

Printed Name                                                          Date                                                                             

Name(s) of Minor Child(ren)