- A clear majority (73 percent) of respondents said we do not need parental rights laws that give parents grounds for suing when they believe their authority has been usurped.
- Asked whether educators are infringing on parents' rights to direct their children's education, 45 percent of respondents said "no"; 37 percent said "yes, but rarely"; and 18 percent said "yes, frequently."
- More than half (66 percent) of respondents said that educators and school counselors have been forced to take on too much of a parental role, as parents have abdicated their responsibilities.
- Asked whether boards of education should respond to parent concerns by restricting classroom discussions of controversial topics, 59 percent of respondents said "no"; 28 percent said "yes"; and 13 percent were unsure.
- A clear majority (62 percent) of respondents said schools should be required to notify parents if a student reports having a substance abuse problem or a sexually communicable disease, while 20 percent disagreed and 18 percent were unsure.
- Regarding which approach would be most helpful in resolving parents' objections, 44 percent of respondents voted for opt-out programs, 36 percent voted for "more parent input when school offerings are being planned," and 20 percent voted for opt-in programs.
- "Educators have to be very careful not to subscribe to this village raising the child' nonsense and remember that the parent has ownership of the child. The school's only function is to educate, and beyond that they should do nothing without parent permission."
- "Public schools are in effect for the common good, for society as a whole, and to splinter off into groups by using parental rights laws would be extremely destructive to the public education system."
- "Parents have so many rights already that a child who is full of head lice can remain in the classroom infecting everybody, if the parent refuses to keep the child out. If it can happen at this basic level, it can happen with everything. We've had children who have not been allowed to attend lessons on [child] abuse that we believe have been abused."
- "Many school people tend to be high-handed in dealing with parent concerns. The attitude that comes across is: We know best. Give us your kids and get out of the way.' . . . To those who argue that the democratic process is sufficient to deal with this problem, I would point out that in many localities the people concerned are in a minority and unable to muster the votes to deal with the issue effectively from their point of view, and so that fails as a solution."
- "Some parents are afraid their children will be exposed to issues and information that will make them think. When restrictions are placed on a teacher's freedom to teach and all ideas are not free to be understood and learned, we're going back to the Dark Ages."
- "As a public school teacher, I sometimes talked to my students about things that they needed help with, such as birth control. But I always advised them to go to their parents, and I only overstepped if it was clear that the student was in danger. I think we can find that middle ground. I've had the experience as a parent of having the subject of death introduced to my child at 1st grade without my knowledge, consent, or input, and I object to that."
For a more complete report on the survey findings, visit ASCD's Web site at http://www.ascd.org. Thanks to all who responded.