Karen England is executive director of Capitol Resource Institute, a pro-family organization in Sacramento, California. Its website is at: www.capitolresource.org. Karen England, executive secretary of the family-oriented Capitol Research Institute in Sacramento, California, is an astute observer of the problems of parents with children in the public schools. She offers this thoughtful check list for their considertion.
School is a place where young minds are shaped, values are formed, and world-views are established. Parents are the ones primarily responsible for guiding their child's education and moral training--not the teacher! We at Capitol Resource Institute (CRI) hope that the following checklist will be helpful as you prepare your children to return to school.
* Find out if your school has an "opt in" or an "opt out" policy. Will the school notify you and ask consent before your child is exposed to sexual or other controversial subject matter in class?
* Opt Out! Write a letter to your school principal and your child's teacher explaining your wish that your child not be exposed to pro-homosexuality messages or any sex education messages in the classroom.
* Find out if your school has a student newspaper and subscribe. There are often announcements in student newspapers concerning controversial matters on campus, such a Gay-Lesbian club activities, etc.
* Find out if your school has a policy that allows minor students to leave campus for confidential medical treatment without notifying the parents. CRI has information on how you can take this matter to your school board and attempt to have the policy changed to a parent-friendly policy.
* Find out if the school authorizes or conducts an "gay" oriented programs such as a "Gay Day of Silence." Many parents have been successful in stopping these from happening. Contact CRI if you want more information.
* Teach your child how to respond to the myths taught in public schools that contradict your values, such as the homosexual agenda, evolution science, etc.
o Is it anti-parent? (Parents are ignorant, old fashioned)
o Does it instruct (Parents are ignorant, old fashioned)
o Does it instruct the child to keep secrets from the parent?
o Does it encourage a negative view of the child, his family, his country, or his future?
o Is it preoccupied with death, tragedy, hate, anger, revenge, etc.? (e.g. Requires the child to write out his own epitaph).
o Is it anti-religion? Does it lead the child to reject morals and values taught at home or church?
o Does it lead the child to believe there are no absolute standards? (Morality is relative and depends on the situation)
o Does it encourage experimentation with sex, alcohol, or drugs?
o Does it censor out all knowledge of the importance of religion in American history?
o Does it force the child to make choices based on hypothetical situations and decide it is okay to lie, cheat, steal, kill, have sex outside of marriage, have an abortion, or commit suicide?
o Does it force the child to answer questionnaires about the family's attitudes, behaviors, customs, political views that invade privacy?
o Does it blur traditional concepts of gender identity and force the child to accept radical feminist notions?
o Does it censor out our nation's heroes such as George Washington but spend much time studying controversial contemporary figures?
o Does it lead the child to believe that global or world government is preferable to the American constitutional republic?
o Does it lead the child to believe that disarmament rather than defense can prevent future war?
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Additional Resources
GreatSchools.net (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=cqy5zdcab.0.ur44zdcab.54qwe8aab.6464&ts=S0272&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.greatschools.net%2Fmodperl%2Fgo%2FCA)
Just for the Kids (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=cqy5zdcab.0.xr44zdcab.54qwe8aab.6464&ts=S0272&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.just4kids.org%2Fen%2F)
PublicSchoolReview.com (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=cqy5zdcab.0.yr44zdcab.54qwe8aab.6464&ts=S0272&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.publicschoolreview.com%2Fpublic_schools%2Fstateid%2FCA)
PrivateSchoolReview.com (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=cqy5zdcab.0.zr44zdcab.54qwe8aab.6464&ts=S0272&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.privateschoolreview.com%2Fstate_private_schools%2Fstateid%2FCA)