Many of California’s school districts are currently deceiving parents about their rights under the law. Contrary to what school districts have been telling them, the California Education Code allows a parent to “opt-out” their children from ALL portions of the California Healthy Youth Act (CHYA).
The law allows opt out for any and all portions of Health, including the CHYA, that conflict with the parents’ religious or moral beliefs.
This includes gender roles and sexual orientation teachings.
California Education Code Section 51240 states “If any part of a school’s instruction in health conflicts with the religious training and beliefs of a parent or guardian of a pupil, the pupil, upon written request of the parent or guardian,
shall be excused
from the part of the instruction that conflicts with the religious training and beliefs” or “personal moral convictions” of the family.
“Whether its intentional or unintentional, districts are misinforming parents about their ability to exercise their rights to opt their children out of these topics,”
said Capitol Resource Institute Executive Director Karen England
. “The deception needs to stop.”
The California State Board of Education’s current “Health Education Content Standards for California Public Schools” includes the following topics under “health education”:
- Sexual development, reproductive health, interpersonal relationships, body image, and gender roles;
- Individual differences in growth and development, physical appearance, gender roles, and sexual orientation;
- Individual, family, and cultural differences in relationships;
- Health care providers for reproductive and sexual health services;
- Health information, products, and services related to reproductive and sexual health; and
- Local resources concerning reproductive and sexual health, including all FDA-approved contraceptives, HIV/STD testing, and medical care.
England added:
“It’s clear the California Healthy Youth Act falls under health and therefore can be opted out of in part or whole. School districts across California are being disingenuous when they are telling parents cannot opt out of health topics if they include gender identity or sexual orientation.
It is the school districts, their administrators and their teachers that need to be educated here. And that is what we intend to do. Parents have rights and they need to be respected and followed if they wish to remove the child from teachings they disagree with.”
We encourage parents to assert their legal right under California Education Code Section 51240 and opt their children out of all portions of the CHYA that they morally object to.
It’s time Districts start following the law and not Planned Parenthood.
