There is a troubling story out of Texas this week that deals with the human sexuality curriculum used in the Fort Worth Independent School District. Parents, apparently, have attempted to get their hands on a copy and now the Attorney General of Texas, Ken Paxton, has demanded a copy.
I point this out not because of the subject matter per se, our readers are probably on different sides of this issue, but the fact parents are having problems getting their hands on the curriculum to review.
Parental requests to see curriculum, no matter the subject material, should NEVER be denied. Parents and taxpayers, in general, have a right to know what is going on in their public schools.
I’m glad to see Attorney General Paxton is getting involved, but the simple fact is this – he should not have had to.
The Texas Tribune reports:
Attorney General Ken Paxton sent a letter to Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Kent Scribner on Thursday evening demanding he hand over a copy of the district’s controversial sixth-grade human sexuality curriculum, which includes lessons about gender identity and sexual orientation.
Paxton claimed in the letter that district officials were repeatedly denying parents access to the curriculum or textbooks, which he said are in use in 22 schools across the district. He said children who asked to take their textbooks home or take a photo of the curriculum were denied.
Paxton cited state and federal laws that give parents access to “all written records of a school district concerning the parent’s child” and “the right to inspect and review the education records of their children.”
Stand for Fort Worth, a parental rights group opposed to having their children learn about gender identity, has been calling on Fort Worth ISD officials to hand over the textbooks and curriculum for months, arguing the district should have asked their permission before moving forward with the curriculum, according to the Star-Telegram.
Read Attorney General Paxon’s letter below: