Last month, State Superintendent Ryan Walters proposed new parental rights that would allow parents to object to any curriculum that doesn't align with their personal beliefs on sex, morality, or religion. These rights also force parents to disclose any changes to their child's mental health status and gender identity.
You can share your perspective as a parent, student, or educator directly to the State Department of Education through our form linked on this page. This template has a pre-written sections and below you'll find some talking points to use, but we also encourage you to express your personal views on how these rules could harm Oklahoma schools. Time to submit public comments will close at Friday, March 17, 4:30 p.m.
For additional info, visit the Oklahoma State Department of Education website.
Talking Points:
- All students, including students of color and 2SLGBTQ+ students, just want to be safe at school and see themselves reflected in what they are learning.
- Parents have a constitutional right to make decisions about their children’s education
- Schools cannot function if they are constantly being required to justify their curriculum or instruction to parents who may hold diametrically opposing viewpoints.
Forced Outing Talking Points:
- Requiring school employees, including counselors, to categorically out students who question their gender identity is a serious violation of student privacy. Mandating disclosure of this kind of sensitive information, with no acknowledgement of risk of harm, puts students and school staff in an impossible situation.
- While many parents are supportive, forced outing provisions ignore the risk danger to young people if abusive family members learn this information, and also drives young people away from trusted adults with whom they may feel more comfortable discussing sensitive subjects.
- We know that trans youth are more vulnerable to depression and other mental health issues – these kinds of provisions will only make those issues worse.
