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Parental Rights in Education

The following outlines the Parental Rights in Education in the Washington County School District as prescribed by Senate Bill 122 from the 2014 Utah State Legislature. The Washington County School District recognizes that the parent or guardian is the primary person responsible for the education of their student, and the school is in a secondary and supportive role to the parent or guardian. As such, the parent or guardian has the right to reasonable academic accommodations as specified below.

DEFINITIONS

“Parent” means parent or legal guardian.

“Reasonably accommodate” means a school shall make its best effort to enable a parent or guardian to exercise the rights listed below

  1. without substantial impact to staff and resources, including employee working conditions, safety and supervision on school premises and for school activities, and the efficient allocation of expenditures; and
  2. while balancing:
    1. the parental rights of parents or guardians;
    2. the educational needs of other students;
    3. the academic and behavioral impacts to a classroom;
    4. a teacher’s workload; and
    5. the assurance of the safe and efficient operation of a school, and
  3. each accommodation shall be considered on an individual basis.

The school shall reasonably accommodate the following:

  1. A written request to retain a student on grade level based on the student’s academic ability or the student’s social, emotional, or physical maturity. (WCSD Policy 4800)
  2. An initial selection of a teacher or request a change of teacher.
  3. A request to visit and observe any class their student attends.
  4. A written request to excuse the student from attendance for:
    1. a family event
    2. a health care visit (without providing a written note from the health care provider.)(Note: An excused absence in such circumstances does not diminish expectations for the student’s academic performance.) (WCSD Policy 2900)
  5. A written request to place a student in a specialized class or an advanced course. (Note: The school shall consider multiple academic data points when making such a determination.) (WCSD Policy 9200, 9201)
  6. Allow a student to earn credit toward a high school diploma without completing a course by (a) testing out of the course, or (b) demonstrating competency in course standards.
  7. A request to meet with a teacher at a mutually agreeable time if the parent is unable to attend a regularly scheduled parent teacher conference. (WCSD Policy 4030)
  8. A written request for a student to opt-out of testing that is administered statewide or the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). (Note: If test results are used in student grading, the teacher must provide an alternative assignment.)
  9. Each parent shall receive a copy of the school’s disciplinary policy and acknowledge its receipt by their signature. (WCSD Policy 2110)
  10. The parent shall be notified of the student’s violation of the school discipline policy and allow for the parent to respond to the violation in accordance with current policy.

Washington County School District

Utah Code 53A-15-1501

August 2014