| 2 | | - | AN ACT concerning education; relating to school districts; establishing parents' right to |
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| 3 | | - | direct the education and upbringing of their children including the right to object to |
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| 4 | | - | educational materials and activities that are not included in approved curriculum or |
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| 5 | | - | standards or impair a parent's beliefs, values or principles. |
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| 3 | + | By Committee on Education |
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| 4 | + | 1-31 |
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| 5 | + | AN ACT concerning education; relating to school districts; establishing |
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| 6 | + | parents' right to direct the education and upbringing of their children |
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| 7 | + | including the right to object to harmful or inappropriate educational |
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| 8 | + | materials and activities. |
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| 7 | | - | Section 1. (a) Every parent of a child in this state has a right to |
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| 8 | | - | direct the education, upbringing and moral or religious training of such |
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| 9 | | - | child. |
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| 10 | | - | (b) In accordance with the rights established under this section, |
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| 11 | | - | each parent of a student enrolled in any school district shall be |
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| 12 | | - | permitted by such school district to object to any educational materials |
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| 13 | | - | or activities on the basis that such material or activity is not included in |
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| 14 | | - | the approved district curriculum or state educational standards or |
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| 15 | | - | impairs the parent's sincerely held beliefs, values or principles and to |
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| 16 | | - | withdraw such student from the class or educational program in which |
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| 17 | | - | the material or activity is being provided. No student's academic |
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| 18 | | - | records shall be adversely affected by withdrawal from a class or |
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| 19 | | - | educational program pursuant to this section. Exemptions from |
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| 20 | | - | required instruction granted pursuant to this section do not excuse a |
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| 21 | | - | student from the responsibility to complete comparable alternative |
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| 22 | | - | assignments offered to obtain credit in the course, the total semester |
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| 23 | | - | hours required for attendance or required courses for graduation by any |
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| 24 | | - | such withdrawal from a class or educational program pursuant to this |
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| 25 | | - | section. If an activity or resource impairs a parent's belief or value, an |
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| 26 | | - | agreed upon alternative activity or resource shall be utilized. When |
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| 27 | | - | appropriate, the student may remain in the classroom, or a placement |
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| 28 | | - | shall be provided to give the student instructional support. |
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| 29 | | - | (c) The board of education of each school district shall adopt |
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| 30 | | - | policies and procedures to guarantee the free exercise of the rights |
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| 31 | | - | established under this section by the parents of students enrolled in |
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| 32 | | - | such school district. Such policies and procedures shall include |
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| 33 | | - | provisions for implementing subsection (b). |
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| 10 | + | Section 1. (a) Every parent of a child in this state has a right to direct |
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| 11 | + | the education, upbringing and moral or religious training of such child. |
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| 12 | + | (b) In accordance with the rights established under this section, each |
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| 13 | + | parent of a student enrolled in any school district shall be permitted by |
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| 14 | + | such school district to object to any educational materials or activities on |
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| 15 | + | the basis that such material or activity harms the student or impairs the |
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| 16 | + | parent's sincerely held beliefs, values or principles and to withdraw such |
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| 17 | + | student from the class or educational program in which the material or |
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| 18 | + | activity is being provided. No student's academic records shall be |
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| 19 | + | adversely affected by withdrawal from a class or educational program |
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| 20 | + | pursuant to this section. |
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| 21 | + | (c) The board of education of each school district shall adopt policies |
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| 22 | + | and procedures to guarantee the free exercise of the rights established |
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| 23 | + | under this section by the parents of students enrolled in such school |
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| 24 | + | district. Such policies and procedures shall include provisions for |
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| 25 | + | implementing subsection (b). |
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| 35 | | - | (1) "Activities" includes any presentation, assembly, lecture or |
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| 36 | | - | other event facilitated by a school or school district. "Activities" does |
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| 37 | | - | not include student presentations. |
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| 38 | | - | (2) "Educational materials" includes, but is not limited to, |
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| 39 | | - | curriculum, textbooks, reading materials, videos, digital materials, |
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| 40 | | - | websites, online applications and any other material given or provided |
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| 41 | | - | to a student for student instruction. |
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| 42 | | - | (3) "Parent" means a parent, legal guardian or custodian or any |
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| 43 | | - | other person who has authority to act on behalf of a child. HOUSE BILL No. 2236—page 2 |
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| 27 | + | (1) "Activities" includes any presentation, assembly, lecture or other |
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| 28 | + | event facilitated by a school or school district. "Activities" does not |
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| 29 | + | include student presentations. |
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| 30 | + | (2) "Educational materials" includes, but is not limited to, curriculum, |
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| 31 | + | textbooks, reading materials, videos, digital materials, websites, online |
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| 32 | + | applications and any other material given or provided to a student for |
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| 33 | + | student instruction. |
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| 34 | + | (3) "Parent" means a parent, legal guardian or custodian or any other |
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| 35 | + | person who has authority to act on behalf of a child. |
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