Every Parent Should Know Your Rights

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Public Health has been awarded a federal grant totaling $808,000 to teach teenagers to abstain from sex before marriage. These funds were awarded under what is known as Title X Federal grants which provide annual funding opportunities directed towards family planning and pregnancy prevention for adolescents. Massachusetts was not alone in receiving the grant and has joined 35 other states in promoting abstinence programming. The grant will be used to fund programs by nonprofit organizations to reach young people ages 10 -15.

Abstinence based sex education is being promoted by the Trump administration which is in sharp contrast to the Obama administration whose efforts focused on healthy relationships, contraception and disease prevention while at the same time reducing federal funding for abstinence-based programs. The Trump administration has encouraged applicants for the grant money to emphasize the benefits of avoiding sex until marriage.

Regardless of which approach you think is beneficial to your child, every parent should know their rights when it comes to teaching sex education to their children. Under Massachusetts law as cited on the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) webpage, the following is stipulated in an advisory opinion by former Commissioner of Education Robert Antonucci: the Parental Notification Law dictates three things parents should know. Essentially, parents must be provided with notice of their rights. Parents may exempt their children from any portion of human sex education or human sexuality issues by doing so in writing to the school principal. Finally, parents are entitled to reasonably access instructional materials for inspection and review under the public records law.

I had my first child at age 27 and as a young parent I was not fully aware of my rights. Since then I have learned my rights as a parent under the law. When our boys were in middle school not so long ago they were taught sex education very differently than what is being taught in today’s sex education curriculum. As a strong supporter of parental rights, I believe every parent or guardian should look into what is being taught in school and feel free to opt out of what they feel is inappropriate for their children under any circumstances. Be informed as to what your child is learning and take the time to talk to your children. My husband and I would look our boys in the eye at dinner and ask a lot of questions. Our boys were not angels, but we felt this time was well invested and paid dividends years later.

Caroline Colarusso is the Republican State Committeewoman for the 5th Middlesex Senate District which includes the communities of Stoneham, Wakefield, Melrose, Malden, Reading, and Winchester (1,2,3,8). Caroline can be reached by phone at (781)438-5720.