Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Sex -ed for your kindergartener or Jail - your choice!

In 2006, parent David Parker insisted he would not leave his son’s elementary school until someone spoke to him about opting his kindergarten son out of offensive sexual material. Parker was arrested for trespassing and spent the night in jail. Further, the school refused to excuse his son from the class. The case of Parker v. Hurley ensued.


The United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts in that case held that “Parents do have a fundamental right to raise their children. They are not required to abandon that responsibility to the state. [They] may send their children to a private school…. They may also educate their children at home.” In other words, the court outlined three options for parents: send your child to private school, teach them at home, or “abandon [your] responsibility to the state.”

The court further held that allowing students to opt out of offensive materials “might also undermine the [school’s] efforts to educate the remaining other students to understand” the subject being taught.

In 2008, the Supreme Court refused to grant review to this case, leaving the District Court’s decision to stand as precedent nationwide. Parents who believe they have a right to opt a child out of offensive material in the public school, therefore, should think again; the courts have already decided otherwise. (Read more on this case here.)

The proposed Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution will restore the responsibility of all government institutions (including public schools) to treat parental rights as a fundamental right. As a result, these rights will have to be respected even inside the school, and not evaporate at the front door.

Take action now to restore this and other reasonable rights of parents by signing the petition to support the Parental Rights Amendment.

Then, please pass this message along. You can forward this message, post this message to your Facebook account, or visit the message online here and use the "share" button to add it to virtually any social media site.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

You've been tagged

There is a blog I love to read called "Things and Stuff"  it is written by a missionary who is currently in South America and occasionally she will have contests, give aways, and general blogging fun things to do - today she had this.  You've been tagged - answer the questions below and then comment on her blog so that she knows who you are. 
Btw - this is our last week before school starts - so I guess I will play =)

Name a book you could read over and over and why.
I could read, and have read, the Wheel of Time books repeatedly - they are interesting, adventurous, heroic, and complete fantasy - my kind of book =)


What is your favorite part of the day?
My favorite time of day is late afternoon, the kids are done with school work and playing, my husband is on his way home, the sun is shining in our front window and the world is just peaceful and perfect.


What was your favorite subject in school?
My favorite subject in school was always History- I still enjoy teaching this to my own children.

What is a Bible verse that has meant a lot to you recently?
Hosea 6:6:

 I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices.
I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.

What advise would you give a new mom?
It's ok to ask for help!

What was the last album you purchased?
HAHAHA - album,  - I haven't bought anything lately - I would like the new Mercy Me Cd =)

What is one website that you like that others may not know about?
I LOVE theFreebieBlogger.com

Ok - Now it is your turn - can you answer all of these questions?  Or even a few?  If you want you can leave answers in the comments.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Not Just NewYork or California - this is happening in middle America!

In April, 2002, Minnesota parents concerned about curriculum content in a freshman class at Big Lake High School were invited to sit in on the class and see the content for themselves. That is, until principal Darrel Easterly found out. Suddenly, the morning of their scheduled visits, several moms learned that they had been banned from the school due to “privacy laws.” Mary Stultz, one of the moms, was stunned. “I was in total shock and spent the morning talking to a lawyer,” Stultz told writer Laura Adelmann at the time.  See Article Here


Another mom called Big Lake Superintendent Bob Lageson, who assured her it “should never happen again.” Yet, within weeks, the local school board was meeting to discuss adopting a policy requiring parents to make an appointment three days in advance of a visit, and granting to the principal wide discretion to prevent parents from entering the building even then.

After an unprecedented public outcry, the school board softened the three day requirement for parents of students to merely “as much advance notice as possible” – but they passed the new restriction. They even granted to the principal authority to detain unauthorized visitors until law enforcement arrives, citing criminal trespass laws.

Today, the current student handbook (pp.7-8) declares that “Big Lake High School does not allow students to bring guests or visitors to classes,” which includes parents. Even more importantly, the events that unfolded in Big Lake have played out numerous other times as well, throughout the country. And the courts have consistently upheld such decisions.

The proposed Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution can halt the erosion of parental rights nation-wide, and restore to parents the right to visit their child and see what is being taught. This will not allow individual parents to shape curriculum for an entire school, but it will allow any parent to remain informed of classroom content, and hopefully to opt their child out of material they find offensive.

Parental Rights isn't just a Homeschool issue - it is the heart of every Mom and Dad!

Please act to protect the right of concerned parents to monitor their child’s education. Sign the petition and get more information at ParentalRights.org.