Parental opt-out law cited in Denver, Bethel investigations
The U.S. Department of Education said Tuesday it opened investigations into Denver Public Schools and the Bethel School District in Washington state over allegations involving classroom conduct and a school display.
Frank Miller, director of the Student Privacy Policy Office at the Education Department, said in a statement that the probes will examine whether the districts violated a federal law that gives parents the right to opt out of school evaluations on topics including sex behavior or attitudes.
“Parents must be the decision-makers in matters impacting the most intimate parts of their children’s lives,” Miller said.
The Denver investigation concerns an allegation that a teacher required students of the same sex to kiss in front of a class. Denver schools spokesman Scott Pribble said the district was finalizing a response and did not immediately have comment.
The Bethel investigation involves a display at Graham-Kapowsin High School in June that included vials of testosterone during an exhibit marking Pride month. The Bethel School District, about an hour south of Seattle, said in a statement that the display was not authorized by school administrators and that the vials were immediately removed and turned over to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.