Parents Bill of Rights

The St. Lucie County School Board (the “Board”) is committed to honoring the rights of parents and guardians and promoting parental involvement in the District. In accordance with HB 241, the Parents’ Bill of Rights (2021), which was codified in Chapter 1014, Florida Statutes, the Board recognizes the fundamental rights of parents and guardians to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their minor children. Accordingly, the Board establishes the following standards and expectations.

(1) Parent and Guardian Rights.
(a) The Board recognizes the following rights of a parent and guardian:

1. The right to direct the education and care of his or her minor child;

2. The right to direct the upbringing and the moral or religious training of his or her minor child;

3. The right to apply to enroll his or her minor child in a public school, or as an alternative, a private school, including a religious school, a home education program, or other available options;

4. The right to access and review all school records relating to his or her minor child;

5. The right to make health care decisions for his or her minor child, unless otherwise prohibited by law;

6. The right to access and review all medical records of his or her minor child, unless prohibited by law or if the parent is the subject of an investigation of a crime committed against the minor child and a law enforcement agency or official requests that the information not be released;

7. The right to consent in writing before a biometric scan of his or her minor child is made, shared, or stored;

8. The right to consent in writing before any record of his or her minor child’s blood or deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is created, stored, or shared, except as required by general law or authorized pursuant to a court order;

9. The right to consent in writing before the school district makes a video or voice recording of his or her minor child unless such recording is to be used for the following purposes:

a. A safety demonstration,

b. A legitimate academic or extracurricular activity,

c. A purpose related to regular classroom instruction,

d. Security or surveillance of buildings, grounds, or district transportation, and/or

e. A photo identification card.

10. The right to be notified promptly if an employee of the school district suspects that a criminal offense has been committed against his or her minor child, unless the incident has first been reported to law enforcement or the Department of Children and Families and notifying the parent or guardian would impede the investigation.

11. This policy, however, does not preclude a Board employee from acting in his or her official capacity within the scope of his or her authority.

(b) Any school district employee who encourages or coerces, or attempts to encourage or coerce, a minor child to withhold information from his or her parent or guardian may be subject to disciplinary action.

(c) Except as otherwise provided by law, a health care practitioner, or an individual employed by such health care practitioner, will not provide or solicit or arrange to provide health care services or prescribe medicinal drugs to a minor child without first obtaining written parental consent.

(2) Promoting Involvement.

(a) The school district shall provide parents and guardians with opportunities to participate in schools to improve parent, guardian, and teacher cooperation in such areas as homework, school attendance, and discipline.

(b) The school district shall provide a parent and guardian with opportunities to learn about his or her child’s course of study, including the source of any supplemental education materials.

(c) Parents and guardians will be able to object to instructional materials and other materials used in the classroom, based on beliefs regarding morality, sex, and religion or the belief that such materials are harmful. “Instructional materials” means items having intellectual content that by design serve as a major tool for assisting in the instruction of a subject or course. This may include other
materials used in the classroom, including workbooks and worksheets, handouts, software, applications, and any digital media made available to students.

(d) Parents and guardians can withdraw their minor child from any portion of the school district’s comprehensive health education that relates to sex education or instruction in acquired immune deficiency syndrome education or any instruction regarding sexuality if the parent or guardian provides a written objection to his or her minor child’s participation. Parents and guardians shall be notified in advance of such course content so that they may withdraw their minor child from those portions of the course.

(e) Parents and guardians shall have the opportunity to learn about the nature and purpose of clubs and activities offered at their minor child’s school.

(3) Requests for Information.

(a) A parent or guardian may request, in writing, from the district school superintendent the information required under this section. Within ten (10) days, the district school superintendent or designee will provide such information to the parent or guardian. If the district school superintendent or designee denies a request from a parent or guardian for information or does not respond to the parent’s request within ten (10) days, the parent or guardian may appeal the denial to the district school board. The district school board Chair or Vice Chair will place an appeal from a parent or guardian on the agenda for its next public meeting. If it is too late for an appeal from a parent or guardian to appear on the next agenda, the appeal will be included on the agenda for the subsequent meeting;

(b) The District will inform parents or guardians via the district webpage how to:
1. Opt out of comprehensive health education.

2. Receive information about school choice options.

3. Exempt a child from immunizations

4. Review statewide standardized assessment results.

5. Qualify a child in gifted or special education programs.

6. Inspect instructional materials.

7. Access information relating to the school district’s policies for promotion or retention, including high school graduation requirements.

8. Access a school report card and be informed of his or her minor child’s attendance requirements.

9. Access information relating to the state public education system, state standards, report card requirements, attendance requirements, and instructional materials requirements.

10. Participate in parent-teacher associations and organizations that are sanctioned by a district school board or the Department of Education.

11. Opt out of any district-level data collection relating to his or her minor child not required by law.