As the primary caregivers for their children, parents have a right to know what their children are being taught. Transparency under the law gives the public direct access to know what their government is doing and hold it accountable. But if parents cannot access basic information about what their children are being taught or asked through invasive surveys, they cannot redress their grievances with their school board or otherwise hold their government accountable.

On top of that, the surveys schools like JCPS give to students are often very invasive and ask personal questions about students’ mental health and how they feel about their family. Pearson is widely known for pushing radical ideologies on children. Too often, parents are not told in advance that their children will be receiving these surveys, and after, schools like JCPS refuse to give parents access to the surveys that were distributed. This puts parents in a very difficult position and makes it nearly impossible to protect their children.

Vice President of Litigation for SLF Braden Boucek states,

Parents have a First Amendment right to redress their grievances with their school boards and raise concerns about what their children are being taught. When they do not know what is happening in their own children’s schools, they are excluded from public debate altogether. In this way, JCPS has muzzled free speech, and we are holding it accountable.